Equilibrium
by Mayonaka no Ame
Summary: Everybody knows that if the Avatar falls in love, it's a done deal. But that fact doesn't help Korra much when being pressured by a traditionalist family, overwhelming new duties, powers that are suddenly out of control and a man who rather her safe over satisfied. Makorra.
1. Fire - Dominance

_Summary:_ Everybody knows that if the Avatar falls in love, it's a done deal. But that fact doesn't help Korra much when being pressured by a traditionalist family, overwhelming new duties and a man who rather her safe over satisfied. Makorra. M for adult situations.

"_True love is friendship - caught on fire."_

**- Unknown **

-. **Equilibrium **.-

Chapter I | **FIRE** | Dominance

Strange things were known to happen when the Avatar became emotional.

One of the most obvious examples was the now renowned "Avatar-state"; an extraordinary marvel where all the past lives over thousands of years fused together to give the current embodiment a sudden and extreme boost of power. This occurred only during the darkest, desperate moments of their lives, allowing it the status of a miracle that most would never witness in their lifetime.

However, there were also many other, less-theatrical incidents that few people knew about, let alone celebrated. Sometimes the ocean waves were known to rise an inch or so if he or she felt deceived. The earth would quiver slightly if they felt overwhelmed. The wind would pick up by a knot if they felt caged. And sometimes, like now for instance, the holy being could find him or herself frantically trying to subdue flames that engulfed their sheets in the middle of the night with seemingly no rhyme or reason behind it.

Well, perhaps there was a_ bit _of a reason. Especially when it involved an Avatar who just barely had control of her spiritual equilibrium in addition to an infamously short temper. For her especially, these type of things happened more often than she cared to admit. They also, lately, tended to be spurred by pitifully mundane events.

So he was a few hours late.

Again.

It wasn't THAT big of a deal.

He had even warned her that this would probably happen. Multiple times. There really wasn't any legitimate reason for the excessive fury that was currently coursing through her veins, causing small sparks to involuntarily flare between her fingers. Then again, Korra had never been one to let reason dictate anything in her life.

Strange things were also bound to happen when the Avatar felt stood up.

So she welcomed her frustration as soon as the flames were under control. She embraced it. The Avatar had to trust her instincts. And despite the mere three months she had be involved in this "relationship" thing - which may suggest that she had far too little experience to gauge what would be an appropriate reaction here - her gut was telling her he deserved to be punched in that sly mouth of his the moment he dared show his face.

Korra smirked maliciously into the night as she brushed the ashes off her pants.

She very much approved of her gut sometimes.

As if on cue, the telltale creak of Air Temple Island's gates reached her ears, causing a few of the resident crab-gulls to cry out in protest. Her smirk widened and somehow, amazingly, the expression morphed into one sourced more from excitement than anger.

He was back. Finally!

Taking a second to smooth down her hair, Korra then raced to the windows, flinging the shutters open just in time to see a red-scarfed shadow disappear around the east side bend. Toward the male-only residences. She felt her lips instantly press themselves into a thin line, frustration re-ignited despite the fact that, again, he had already warned her that this would probably be his decision should he return late.

He obviously had yet another grueling few days under Chief Bei Fong's no-nonsense tutelage at the police academy. Since he was lacking both the pre-requisite education as well as the extra disadvantage of being one of the few non-metal bending candidates, the woman was especially hard on him and often insisted he do overtime in order to keep up with the rest of the crew.

Korra knew this. He apologized for it endlessly, constantly reminding her that in just a few short months he'd be a full-fledged officer with a regular and relatively impressive paycheck (at least in comparison to temp, street-kid accepting jobs). He had already started searching for apartments in the city so that he could be closer to the station and his brother could re-enroll in school; they had already begun collecting and refurbishing furniture gleaned from the roadside in various states of grossness and he had even gone so far as to promise his initiation pin to her the moment it was placed in his metal-gloved hand, seeing as she was the one who inspired him to aim for better things. Though the gesture was far too cliché for her tastes, she fought hard to suppress the chortle that automatically rose into her throat when it was offered, knowing that such a reaction would be far from supportive.

His point had been made; that soon, someday very soon, he intended to have a legitimate, stable future for himself. And soon, as soon as possible, he would want to share that future with her.

It was sweet. And exciting. And so very adorable, in both a 'how-cheesy' and an 'I'm-so-lucky' sorta way.

But that day was still months down the road. Tonight she had only wanted a measly hour or two alone with him. Chatting, listening to the radio, forcing them both to sit still for a tiny percentage of their relentlessly active lifestyles. Nothing too high-maintenance. Still, he had obviously decided that the rendezvous should be pushed back anyway, yet again, considering it was well past midnight and the entirety of Air Temple Island was dark and silent.

This, Korra could not forgive. He should know well enough by now that she was rarely discouraged by anything as insipid as a clock.

"Stupid…Pretty-Boy…Jerk-bender…" she muttered under her breath as she went through the motions to carve a few handholds out of the brick wall below her window. It was a risky method of escape, but the only one that Tenzin and the White Lotus sentinels had yet to catch onto. Sure, she was aware that one too many times bending and later hiding the steps would eventually threaten the entire building's structural integrity, but it would be up to future Korra to deal with that inevitable catastrophe. Future Korra would be more careful, wise and patient, of course. Current Korra just wanted, no, _needed_ to give a certain firebender a piece of her mind. Now.

With an ease gained from years of practice, the young Avatar vaulted over the window sill and effortlessly caught the first, barely noticeable ledge. Soon enough she had landed upon the guard tower's roof on the lower level plateau of the island. Her footfalls and subsequent dismount onto the grass went completely unnoticed seeing as the sentinels were engrossed in a broadcast of the new pro-bending season, which they only dared to listen to after Tenzin and his family were tucked in for the night.

Thus, sporting a cocky grin at her triumph, Korra escaped into the night toward the 'forbidden' male residences which she could now navigate perfectly in the darkness. This skill had been developed even before she had an actual motive to invade. She simply got bored at night during her air bending tenure and had an itch to explore. Besides, it never hurt anyone…barring the one time she ran into one of the elder monks enjoying a late night bath and nearly gave them both heart attacks. But she didn't count that. Nor acknowledge that it happened at all.

In a few short minutes, she was crouched below a familiar window trying to sort through her many muddled thoughts before busting in and unleashing her fury, as was the original plan. Not only would such a method only lead to a repeat, fruitless argument between them, she knew such aggression could push her further off balance. She had her air bending test in a few weeks. She couldn't afford to lose one speck of patience. There was only so little she had in stock.

"Korra."

Before anything besides the decision **not** to punch him could be settled, she found herself glancing up into a familiar pair of amber eyes. Eyes that were part of a far-from-amused expression.

He was dressed in that tattered, grey-ish tank-top which was one of his five articles of clothing and, strangely, her favorite. Despite the grunginess factor, it delightfully displayed the sculpted arms he usually hid beneath a baggy coat or cadet uniform and also sported a sizeable tear at the neckline which had yet to be re-stitched, courtesy of her showing a little too much enthusiasm during their last get-together. Though Tenzin had often offered to help him and Bolin out financially, if only enough so that they could get basic necessities such as clothing that wasn't falling apart, the fire-bender was a rather original combo of proud and practical. Life on the streets had taught him that everything could and should be used to the point of disintegration. They both knew very well that he would wear that shirt until it was mere threads hanging off his chest.

Korra could only smile her notorious, crooked smile at the thought, ineptly trying to charm him out of being mad.

After a solid minute of staring, his expression remained unmoved.

This was not going as planned.

Eventually, Mako broke the silence with a sigh before retreating into the room, allowing her the space to climb inside. In the past, he may have spent a futile couple of minutes trying to convince her to leave, listing a bunch of strong arguments such as the fact that he was only a guest here on Air Temple Island, that the male-female separation rules were non-negotiable, that his brother slept a paper-thin wall away and that Tenzin had been breathing down his neck ever since they had announced they were a couple. Well, not so much 'announced' as having been caught wandering-handed in a dark corner on the boat ride back from the Southern Water Tribe. Since then, the world's only Air Bending Master had developed a personal vendetta against him which Mako worked hard not to exacerbate.

None of these perfectly adequate reasons ever held sway with the impetuous girl though, so he had long since decided to simply deal with it. But that didn't mean he had to do so happily.

"What are you doing here?" Crossing his arms over his chest in a telltale stance of exasperation, Mako watched as Korra, the legendary Avatar, the world savior and, to a limited circle, his girlfriend, tried to keep eye contact while awkwardly clambering through the window, that same goofy grin plastered on her face that attempted and horrendously failed at establishing innocence.

"I-I thought…" with a final tug, she got her remaining foot over the sill, stumbling fully into the room before placing her hands on her hips. "I thought we had a…thing tonight. That's all. Just…checking up, I guess."

Mako sighed again, closing his eyes in order to summon his patience from whatever deep, dark hole it had escaped to. Nobody could grate his nerves quite as finely as she could. "I told you the chief was ninety percent likely to keep me late tonight. I never had the language or math or history lessons to be prepared for the theory exams. You know this. It's pure luck that I'm doing well enough in physical that she doesn't expel me completely."

It took all of Korra's will power not to roll her eyes. Luck had nothing to do with Mako being singled out by Chief Bei Fong to join the police force. He was a hard worker, dedicated, loyal and not to mention a notoriously strong and talented bender. They would be lucky to have him. The pity party was redundant.

"Fine," she relented with hands up, not wanting to aggravate the situation. Especially since quarrelling with him was slowly becoming less of a priority as they stood face to face for the first time in days. He looked good. Tired, but good. "I get it. You're busy. But don't you think this training is getting a little out of hand? You hardly have time to sleep nowadays, let alone have a life. And I've been so very _bored._"

"I'm doing this for you, ya know? It's only a few more months."

"Until what? Until you're on call twenty-four-seven and constantly fighting for your life? I don't remember ever asking you to do that for me. I don't _want_ you to do that for me. I just want you around once in a full moon_._ Is that so much to ask?"

"You didn't- I just…" Those amber eyes of his flashed in warning, as they always did when she hit a nerve. He took a daring step forward, halving the ten foot gap between them. "I- _we_ can't coast here forever, surviving off of Tenzin's charity."

This time, the eye roll was beyond her control. "For the love of… I'm the Avatar. We'll be taken care of. It's about time you stop being so damn proud."

"And you have to stop being so naive!" Another, larger step and the gap was a mere foot now. Korra felt the temperature of the room suddenly rise a few degrees as well as the lanterns begin to brighten. "Bolin and I don't belong here."

"I thought you said you belonged with me. Who cares where or how?"

"Then why do you care so much about when, huh? Please just-," His palm went to his forehead as he struggled to dredge up the right, least-offensive words from the exhausted and throbbing bundle of nerves his brain had become. He knew that she didn't get it, knew that she never would understand how demoralizing it was to be without a path seeing as her rather glorious one had been laid out and cemented since the age of three. As if the White Lotus had presented her with a pristine, destiny-themed worksheet, her years had always had some task to be her unencumbered focus. Master Water, check. Master Earth, check. Master Fire, check. Master Air, soon-to-be check. Re-balance Republic city, check. For Mako, his goals had always humbly been to find food, find shelter, protect Bolin, to _survive_ every day, all day, repeating, never moving forward, let alone up.

There was only so long one could live like that before they started to question if they were really living. And though meeting Korra, being with Korra, had helped reanimate his appreciation for being young and alive, he refused to spend his life as the Avatar's accessory. He needed to be more. He needed to be worthy of her.

"Just let me get through this," he begged in a tense whisper. "It won't be forever. It'll be worth it. Please..."

Korra's haughty retort got stuck in her throat as she recognized the desperation in his tone. At this close range and with the suddenly livelier light, she couldn't help but give him another, more focused once over. His short, black hair was messier than usual. Most likely from a quick, post-training shower followed by a mad dash to catch the last ferry. His nails were broken and dirty, knuckles raw from trying to hold his own against the metal benders. His skin had become a shade darker since he spent more and more time patrolling the streets rather than holed up in the arena or power plant. He also had a new mark on his cheek just below his left eye. She recognized the gleaming pink line as the work of a water healer. The original cut must have been deep to require such treatment, probably from failing to block one of the force's standard, metal whips.

It must have hurt.

He really was giving his all to this and still, according to him at least, it wasn't enough. The expectations of greatness from everyone weren't helping with the stress either.

She knew the feeling all too well.

With no more than a millisecond's consideration, she decided it was time to end the talking portion of the evening. It wasn't going anywhere anyway. The only guaranteed way to save face, or at least make sure neither of them returned to their beds bitter and distracted for the next few days, was to invoke a state of mutual mindlessness. And the best way she knew how to do that was to lunge for his lips.

This Avatar, unlike her predecessor, was not known for her skill in politics. Taking action was her method of choice. Sometimes it succeeded. Sometimes it fell flat. Sometimes (often) things exploded. But in the case of making up with Mako, so far, it never failed.

He hesitated. He always did, at first. She could practically hear his usual list of annoying reasons as to why they shouldn't even look at one another until some ambiguous amount of time had passed for them to be considered 'serious'. It was ridiculous really, as if he believed that setting foot on this island magically tied him to norms stemmed from generations long departed. Every time they got together it was as if they were momentarily possessed by the spirits of the tide, Tui and La; she always pushing forward and he constantly pulling away.

It was an exhausting struggle.

Despite where they lived, they were not monks. They were modern-day, forward-thinking, hormone-charged teenagers and everyone would just have to accept that. This was reinforced as he finally began to reciprocate, his hands finding their way behind her back in order to bring her flush against him, practically lifting her off her feet in his eagerness to get closer.

Korra smiled against his lips, relishing this still untested power she had in these situations. If there was one ancient credo that both Korra and the history books agreed upon, it was that Avatars love once or not at all. It was a silly thing to believe in as a contemporary woman, but to her it had become fact the moment she met Mako. Her confession of "I think we were meant for each other" in the prep room that day hadn't been an exaggeration. She was fascinated by him and no one else. She wanted to spend time with him and no one else. All the way to seventeen, she hadn't felt one wisp of that pesky desire that distracted some younger men and women to the point of not being able to function, that is until she saw him. Her Avatar's soul recognized something in his, and suddenly everything changed.

He was it.

Done.

Simple.

She was pretty sure that he knew it - felt it - too. Which was exactly why she saw no point in being patient or traditional or anything else beyond what they deemed right in the moment. And in this moment, she needed that shirt of his gone. He should get a new one anyway.

The rip echoed throughout the room, acting as a sort of starter pistol for her hands to explore him, praying he remained unmoved by the relic garment's sacrifice. In response, his kisses only deepened, hands tangling themselves in her hair, pulling out her ribbons so that the mass of it fell loose around her shoulders. He had never done that before. He was officially lost to the haze, most likely thanks to fatigue. Whatever the reason, internally Korra was shouting her delight. At last!

They needed this: a break, a mental reprieve from the tests, the teachers, the trials, the duties. In this moment, she was able to confess that it probably wasn't _just_ anger that had caused her to set fire to the bed earlier that night.

Strange things were bound to happen when the Avatar was sexually frustrated.

"Wait. We shouldn't-" true to form, Mako began to pull away just as their kisses hit that blissfully sinful note, but Korra didn't let him get far this time. Her hands locked onto the back of his head and pulled, thanking the spirits for her strength as he had no choice but come crashing back to her mouth.

His control began to shudder and then crumble and finally, once her tongue got involved, it dissolved completely. Now he was lifting up the hem of her shirt, fingers racing up from her abdomen, the sides of her breasts, still covered by bindings, and finally over her head, leveling the playing field between them. Korra felt like she should be self-conscious as he began digging at the knot at her back, but a torrent of other emotions were overpowering everything else. She felt as if this event was both long overdue and too soon. Overdue because of the aforementioned certainty that they were meant for each other. Too soon because they were still so young and definitely not prepared to deal with some of the life-changing consequence that could occur from this act. Later, yes. But definitely not now.

Maybe Mako was right to push her away and insist on patience. Maybe Tenzin was justified in playing watchdog, knowing how reckless she could be. Maybe…

The flicker of doubt died as soon as he managed to loosen the knot of her bindings, flooded over by the now ubiquitous, raw need to be as close to him as possible as soon as possible, no matter the risks. He pulled back from her lips slowly, as if it were physically arduous, until his golden eyes met her azure blue, both blazing, reflecting the unnaturally high flame of the lanterns. After she gave a brief nod of approval, he began unwinding the long strip of koala-sheep cotton. He worked slowly, as expected, his fingers tracing the path over and around, taking his time, neatly enfolding the fabric around his fingers as he went, making her shudder, making her ache. It was infuriating. As soon as it was loose enough, she hooked her fingers beneath the remaining coil, shimmied it above her head and slammed it to the floor.

She supposed it would have been more lady-like to let him take charge, to let him feast his eyes on her exposed body for the first time and fawn over it, but enough was enough. There would be a lifetime for him to try all the sappy stuff the picture-shows told him girls liked. They only had so much time if history was any indication.

His futon was but a few paces away, so she grabbed him by the belt and yanked him onto it. Before there was a chance to recover his breath from the fall, she had claimed her position straddling him, kissing him fiercely, pressing her hips into his as nature prompted her to do. Despite her inexperience, it seemed to be working well enough. Mako was responding with equal if not more fervor. She didn't think it possible, but her arousal grew that much stronger the first time she heard him moan, genuinely moan, against her shoulder. A curse was then mumbled, and another, stronger moan when she pressed a little harder.

It was the sweetest sound she had ever heard, and she wanted more of it. She should have known he'd have other plans though. In a flash, she was flipped, spine now pressed onto the sheets with him hovering over her, gentleness gone as his hands finally summoned the gall to reach for her breasts. It was Mako's turn to hear her whimper and realize how intoxicating the sound was. Like fire injected directly into his veins, releasing an unsullied heat into the places where their bare skin touched. Incredible.

When his hand wandered down into the waistband of her pants, neither was shocked. The decision had been made almost telepathically. Korra needed it first and now. There was no question, nor was there any doubt that the favor would soon be returned.

"_Hurry_!" she hissed as he struggled with the ties of her pelt wrap.

Mako laughed. "Relax," he insisted with an infuriatingly slow kiss against her lips. "We have time."

She wanted to remind him of the four (count-em, four) times he had said those exact words in the past few months which had always preluded some sort of interruption, but then his hand found its target and her mind went blank. She vaguely remembered her gasp being interrupted by a whispered reminder of _'Shh. Bolin'_ and then a finger dove further. She bit her lip that time to keep quiet, so hard that she almost drew blood. He adjusted, moving out and up as the unknown voice in his head dictated and it was perfect. She was seeing stars, she was trembling furiously. How he knew how to do this, she didn't care. What mattered was that he was doing it and it felt amazing.

As something began to peak within her, Korra swore that she would never tire of this feeling. She couldn't believe it had taken three months to discover this. She vowed, rather impetuously, to never practice patience again. Patience sucked. This, what she was feeling now, was sourced from persistence, from water, from forcing paths where there were none originally. She was about to-

"OH HI PEMA! HOW NICE TO SEE YOU THIS EVENING."

They both froze, at least the parts of them that were able to freeze, as they listened to Bolin greet the Mistress of Air Temple Island at the front door of their shared suite, a mere paper door away.

"HI!" the mother of four responded with equally exaggerated enthusiasm, seemingly a little out of breath. "I-I just wanted let you know that, uhh, Tenzin is on his way over. Korra's not in her bed you see and, he just wants to…umm, check on things."

Mako felt his heart drop into his stomach, mentally preparing himself for inevitable death. As always though, Korra was one step ahead. With a push so forceful that his back slammed against the wall beside the futon, she extricated herself and began a desperate scramble for her clothing.

"Not in her bed, eh?" they heard Bolin reply in the most overdone rendition of surprise either of them had ever heard. "Well I can assure you, if you slide open that door there," both envisioned him gesturing to Mako's room as if it were a new trick he'd taught Pabu, "You would definitely **not** find the Avatar. No sir-ree. No chance. It's not like Mako and Korra would be rude enough to '"visit"," Korra could see his shadow making air quotes with his fingers at the word "one another at this male only residence when I'm sleeping just next door and could hear a pin drop from the other room. Naww. That would just be harsh and incredibly awkward. Ha ha."

Mako winced as he pulled his uniform shirt out of the hamper and punched his arms through the sleeves. So much for being quiet.

"Oh of course not," agreed Pema loudly with a hint of amusement. "Those two are known to be completely respectful of the rules. I have no doubt." Korra had her shirt back on and was crouched on the window sill, just as a furious knock sounded at the door. Their eyes met for just a moment, radiating mutual anxiety, terror and mainly disappointment, before she once again vanished into the night a mere second before Master Tenzin burst into his bedroom.

It was lucky Mako looked as beat-up as he did, wearing his wrinkled cadet uniform, eyes glazed, hair sticking up in all directions and being tangled in a strategically positioned quilt; it was the perfect tableau of a young man who worked himself so hard that he couldn't dredge up the stamina to change before falling into bed. Tenzin's initially angered expression immediately softened at the sight.

"I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour Mako," he said calmly, taking a moment to straighten the robes that had become twisted in his march over. "I was hoping you'd know where Korra may be?"

Gingerly, the firebender sat up, careful not to uncover his lap as he did so. "I'm sorry sir, but no, I don't. I just returned a few minutes ago from the academy."

At the reminder that the boy was indeed working hard to make himself worthy of being the Avatar's companion, Tenzin felt himself calm a little bit more. There had to exist true dedication indeed for anyone to willingly put themselves at the mercy of Lin Bei Fong day in and day out. If that wasn't proof of love, then he didn't know what was. But it still didn't mean he'd sit idly by and allow them to ignore basic customs and propriety.

"Dear," Pema stepped in between them then, placing a gentle hand on her husband's cheek to garner his attention. "The poor boy is obviously exhausted. We should let him rest. Korra probably just went out for a swim. She'll be fine."

"Yes. Yes, you're right. I'm sorry." With a deep breath, Tenzin bowed to signal his departure, which Mako clumsily tried to return in from his seated position. "You coming, my love?" he asked when he noticed his wife staying put.

"In a second. I just wanted to collect some articles I promised to mend. Run along. I'll catch up."

With a smile and a quick kiss, the Air bending Master confidently left the premises, allowing the three remaining party members to simultaneously release their breath.

Immediately bending down, Pema snatched two articles off the floor that they had somehow failed to notice in the mad dash; his decimated tank top and, to his horror, what could obviously only be Korra's light blue breast bindings.

If one could die of embarrassment, Mako was pretty sure he would have. Especially when Bolin chose to worsen the situation by whispering "Niiiccceeeee..." from beyond the threshold.

But Pema, sweet, caring, awesome Pema, only giggled while tucking the items into the sleeve of her robe, as if she smuggled such damning evidence around every day. The full weight of what she had done, of what she _knew_, hit him then and he wished fire bending included the ability to self-combust.

"Good night you two," she told the brothers, giving Bolin a peck on the cheek and somehow guessing that the elder wouldn't want her to come any closer. "I'll make sure everything gets put back where it should go."

He wanted to thank her. He wanted to dig up the remnants of his savings and shower her with it. It was the least he could do seeing as she had quite possibly saved his life just now. But only a hum of assent escaped his dry and tight throat as the Air Temple Mistress floated out of their lodgings, like an angel of mercy, into the cool spring air.

"Sooooo." Without further ado, Bolin plopped himself down next to his brother on the futon, apparently oblivious of the glare that begged for privacy. "I'm adding a few new items to our apartment search checklist. Item one: soundproof walls. Or better yet, rooms on opposite ends PLUS soundproof walls. Or perhaps rooms on separate floors, plus-"

"I'm sorry, okay!" Mako burst out, throwing himself down into the pillows and closing his eyes. He had never felt so exhausted in his life, both physically and emotionally. "Just…you know how she is. It won't happen again. I won't let it."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that buddy." He patted his brother's shoulder in mock pity. If Korra was set on something happening, it was gonna happen, no doubt about it. The girl was crazy. But in a good way. "Just tell her to give me a signal next time. A turtle-duck call or something. I'll be outta here faster than you can say-"

"**Goodnight Bolin**!" The lanterns in the room suddenly flared, flames reaching so high that they scorched the ceiling before abruptly fizzling out.

Bolin, wisely, took the hint.

* * *

Later, after having discreetly returned to her room and tucked herself back into bed, Korra was attempting to relax, knowing that she'd be expected to practice her Air bending first thing in the morning and then attend council meetings till late into the night. Though she was still a poor substitute for the decisive Tarrlok who, despite his issues, had a talent for getting things _done _with minimal red-tape run around, she took pride in the few restructuring changes she had helped draft and voted to pass. For example, allowing non-benders to have seats on the council. That being said, for every forward-thinking bill that she actually cared about that went through, she had to deal with hundreds upon hundreds of others, ranging from merely boring (like plans to expand the sewer system) to completely absurd (why someone even bothered to propose to prohibit inter-elemental marriages and how it had reached a level as high as the council before getting shot down, she couldn't even fathom).

The city was finally re-settling after the chaos of Amon's temporary takeover. Gang activity had decreased significantly thanks to the efforts of Chief Bei Fong and her expanding crew. Pro-bending was back in season now that the arena was repaired, to the delight of everyone. The mass produced Equalist weapons, though outlawed, made an appearance every now and then in skirmishes, inspiring the few bullying benders to think twice before harassing the innocent. She hated that it took the invention of such a vile device meant only for harm to get the citizens to respect one another again, but she took her respite wherever she could get it.

Amon, though a liar and a tyrant, really had helped her restore balance to the city in the end. Proof that everything happened for a reason.

Even fate's apparent insistence on sabotaging her progress with Mako.

With a grunt of frustration, Korra rolled over to face the wall, unable to stomach her window's teasing view of freedom.

It was beyond infuriating that the one aspect in her life which she was the most personally invested in and should be the least distressing was the only one that was failing to stabilize. Since having made her first connection with the spiritual world and the Avatar's past lives, her bending was more powerful than ever. And yet, every time her mind drifted towards Mako and their subsequent issues, everything threw itself so far out of whack that the elements themselves grew restless.

They'd have to talk about it, seriously talk about it, in the near future. These past couple of months, they'd both been so busy that the rare snippets of time alone were usually spent…not talking. Though tonight was the first instance of it escalating to not-talking without clothes.

One thing was for sure, she sure as hell couldn't go on much longer like this. They'd find a compromise; a happy medium. They had to. Not tomorrow because she had her council meeting. And the not the day after that, because he had a law 208 exam the next day, which he would want to study for. And then there was the exam itself the day after that. But then after that she had the Cabbage Industries gala. And somewhere in between all of this she had that press conference about the deforestation in the north and he had that fitting for his dress uniform and there was some noble newborn that she apparently had to go bless and he had to finish re-upholstering that disgusting couch they'd found before it began attracting flies and she had-

Suddenly, for the second time that night, Korra found herself desperately trying to tame flames that had unconciously lept from her fingers and managed to ignite the floorboards.

By the time she had it out, the breathless Avatar had made a new resolution: tomorrow she'd make a genuine effort to fix this. If not possible directly with Mako, the she'd talk to someone, _anyone_, else just to get the ball rolling. Before she accidentally roasted all the last Airbenders.

* * *

**Special Thanks: ** to JayLiyah, my fav FF & Korra fangirl, for taking the time out of her busy schedule to beta this. I truly appreciate it.

**Author's Note: **I could not help it. Impatiently waiting for book two Legend of Korra drove me to venture beyond my Final Fantasy comfort zone and attempt something new. I read a bunch of good Makorra fics over the past few weeks that mixed the Avatar's world with a little bit of extra spice, and this is what I've attempted to do here. Far from my usual elaborate dramas while amp-ing up the smut a little from what I usually write (which was pretty difficult for me…giggled the entire time), this is intended to be a fun, light romance of about 5-6 chapters. I hope some of you are amused.

To new readers who have just now found me via the LOK section, I am happy you are here reading this! Reviews = sunshine + rainbows + improved writing + happy writer + faster updates.

Thank you all so much for your support.


	2. Earth - Stability

"_A lot of molehills become mountains when someone adds a little dirt."_

**- Unknown **

-. **Equilibrium** .-

Chapter II | **EARTH** | Stability

"Concentrate Korra!" Jinora prompted from the sidelines of the Air Temple's spinning gate exercise as she watched the Avatar go through the advanced routine.

"The leaf! Remember the leaf!" offered Ikki, wincing at the sound made as one of the boards connected with something it shouldn't have.

"WHY ARE YOU BEING SO BAD!?" screeched Meelo with genuine irritation as he clawed at his cheeks.

Her elbow caught on another gate, hard, and Korra had no choice but to take the first opening she saw to exit the maze even though the exercise was to keep going, circling with the generated wind, for several minutes. She just couldn't do it today. She didn't have the minimum required amount of wits about her.

With an annoyed hiss upon escaping the contraption, she inspected the bruises already forming where she took the worst of the hits.

Great. Just great.

"Uhh, Korra?" It was Jinora, the eldest and most tranquil of Tenzin's children that stepped forward while the other two sat on their heels and exchanged troubled glances. "I don't mean to discourage you or anything but…your balance. It's all..._off_. Not as bad as when you first started but very, very, VERY off."

A glare that was perhaps a tad too homicidal for an eleven-year-old was shot the girl's way. Well **duh **her balance was off! She'd have the sore and ugly reminders for at least a week to prove it.

She wanted to scream, wanted to blast the whole structure apart _again_ for daring to prove that there was such a thing as going backwards in bending training. If these kids thought she was off balance, she'd show them off balance! Nothing fueled her fire side more than failure.

"Korra." The Avatar paused, Tenzin's soothing tone somehow managing to permeate the cloud of rage which had engulfed her. She stepped back and took a deep breath before turning to face him.

"Sifu," she greeted with a bow, anger departing only to be replaced with a suffocating amount of shame. What kind of hot-headed, immature, unfocused idiot would ruin a two thousand year old structure not only once but twice just because of a few bruises?

She really was the worst Avatar ever.

"Korra," he said again, taking a step closer. She braced herself for the lecture, the disappointment, the confirmation that at this rate, she'd never master air bending and would fail to fulfill her destiny.

It never came.

A warm hand was placed on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "I think we're done for the day. Pema should have lunch ready for you."

She winced. Somehow, a dismissal was worse than any criticism. It was as if he were also giving up. "Tenzin…I-"

"Everyone has off days Korra. Have some lunch. Try to relax a little." The grip on her shoulder tightened as if to say she had little choice in the matter. "Attempt to meditate if you feel the need. In air bending it is more important that you remain centered than physically adept. Remember?"

Nervously, Korra nodded. "I remember."

"Good. Now go."

With a gentle push she was steered off to the kitchen and for the first time in a long while, Korra didn't fight a command. She had every intention of doing exactly what she was told today. And tomorrow. And perhaps every day for the rest of her life.

For there was only one issue that could explain her being unable to complete such an elementary exercise which she had once effortlessly breezed through. She could feel it in that pesky gut of hers. Somehow, she had let some sort of a vicious, scorpion-mole-esque demon slip its chain and it was now running rampant throughout her chakras, invoking a tsunami of spiritual chaos.

Meditation wouldn't help. Being still and alone with her thoughts would only resurface the memories, the disappointments, the ache that was still prominent despite hours having passed since she last saw him.

He had left a note for her this morning (purposefully bland in content since the White Lotus had a bad habit of scanning her correspondence) reminding her of his exam schedule and that he'd be absent from the island for the next several days. This repeat of information that she had long since been privy to really shouldn't have made her as exasperated as it did and yet once again she found herself - literally - fuming. His mere existence, especially said existence far away from her, was just so…distracting! For lack of a better word. And it was getting worse with every passing day.

She wished there was someone she could talk to about this, but the Air acolytes' official policy was to disregard relationships and all the chi clogging drama that came with them. Except for Tenzin of course, but he had probably only allowed himself to succumb in the interest of producing more air benders and only years after he had already mastered his element. And they were happy now, right? Both as balanced as ever. How? What made them so special as to succeed in being together and he remaining a powerful, focused air bender? How had Aang done it, having met his mate at such a young age? She wished she could ask him, as spirits that only you could connect with were so much more reliable secret-keepers than fellow humans. But yet another thing that resulted in her loss of equilibrium was the ability to converse with her past lives. It was the most maddening of catch twenty-twos.

"Korra! Hi!" Pema was on her the second she stepped into the kitchen, thrusting a steaming bowl into her face so quickly that she almost smashed her nose into it. Baby Rohan, securely bundled in a wrap around her chest, gurgled his own version of a greeting.

Startled by her enthusiasm, Korra took a step back, eyeing the bowl skeptically. "Hiiiii," she eventually chose to respond, one eyebrow raised as she accepted the meal. "You seem…happy today."

The word she really wanted to use was "crazy", but she hadn't the heart nor the gall to insult the person who controlled the island's supply of rice and noodles. Considering her appetite, it was quite the powerful position.

"Oh, I'm always happy," Pema insisted with a wave of her hand. Which was unarguably true. "But I'm especially happy to see you. Come, let's eat."

Without opportunity for debate, Korra was dragged to a small booth in the corner of the kitchen which had been used by the service staff back when the island was a Fire noble's residence. It was the first time she was eating outside of the dining hall barring the take out Bolin sometimes snuck in and, frankly, it was unnerving. Especially since, despite her exclamation of 'let's eat', Pema had not made herself a bowl. This Korra could not help but point out.

"Well, I have a pretty odd schedule with this one," she excused while bouncing the baby. "So I'm more of a constant snacker as opposed to full meals. Don't worry about me. Eat!"

"Uh, okay." Unable to think of anything else to do, she took a few bites, trying to ignore the increasingly uncomfortable staring. It took a mere thirty second for her patience to run out, as was typical.

"Jussh shpit it oush Pema!" she grumbled through a mouth full of rice and vegetables. "You must have more important things to do with your time than watch me chew."

Her grin only widened, matching the increase in the Avatar's annoyance level. "Well, I did want to remind you that my primary job here will always and forever be to support and aid the children residing in this temple. It's what I love doing and it's what I'm best at."

"So," Korra gestured to the exit "I'm sure by now Meelo has lodged something uncomfortable up his nose. Better get on that."

"You do know I've always considered you one of my children, Korra?"

Korra chuckled, then coughed when some rice went down the wrong pipe. Her attempts to dislodge the grain were apparently the most entertaining thing since his siblings' raspberry kisses according to Rohan, who began giggling furiously. "Thanks for the offer," she eventually managed to sputter, giving the baby an evil eye "but I'm seventeen. Eighteen in a few weeks. I'm far from a child."

"That may be, but you're still far from fully matured. It's these years that can be the most daunting, especially if you have no one you can talk to. About anything."

At this wording, Korra actually gave pause, chopsticks abandoned by the side of her bowl. All of a sudden, she wasn't hungry. She was curious.

Last night she had promised herself something. She vowed today would result in a change and she didn't intend that change to involve her Air bending abilities. But a temple master's wife and newborn son weren't exactly the ideal confidants. Then again, no one really fit that rather prickly call out. This was still an incredibly "touchy" subject after all.

"Anything?" Korra repeated carefully, her expression developing a menacing edge. Tenzin's insistence on her coming here was now incredibly suspicious. This could very well be a plot to get her to confess her midnight escapades, which could lead to sentinels being placed _inside_ her quarters to ensure she stayed put during the night. She wanted Pema to realize - to know - that she would not take such a betrayal lightly.

The older woman nodded her answer to the silent question with unwavering confidence, her smile apparently everlasting. "Anything."

While pinching her fingers pensively on her chin, Korra soon decided she had little other choice but to trust her if she wanted to make some progress. But first, she needed to do a small test. Trust had to go both ways. "Okay then." Mentally cracking her knuckles, she prepared for an entertaining take down. "How long had you and Tenzin been dating before you spent the night together?"

"Three weeks." Both the answer and the unhesitant speed of its delivery almost caused her the fall out of her seat.

_**Aha!**_ Proof that Tenzin was far from the perfectly pious man that he claimed to be. What a hypocrite!

"It was on our wedding night," Pema quickly added before Korra could get a word out, candidly raining on her mental parade. "I was well into my twenties by then, Tenzin nearly forty. We had both dated other people and been friends for a decade prior. We knew what we wanted because, at that point, we were mature and experienced enough to recognize it. So there was no point in waiting. We were planning the wedding after the first date."

It took all of Korra's self-restraint not to slam her head into the table in frustration. Surprise, surprise, the "advice" was to be still, calm down and wait it out. How…not useful. This would do little to stop her from accidentally burning down the entire villa later that night.

"Korra." Pema's hand covered hers, prompting her to withdraw from her depressing thoughts and look the woman in the eye. She was still smiling of course, but it wasn't with the expected haughtiness nor judgement. She seemed, perhaps, pitying. "I know this is probably redundant information, but you are not me. You are not your mother. You are neither like the modest monks on this island nor those painted mainland girls who have so little respect for themselves. Only you know what you need. Only you can read the signs lining the path to your destiny. All I can ask, all I can hope, is that you are careful."

"Careful?"

Finally, a little late into the conversation in Korra's opinion, the older woman began to blush. "Now this is not my forte so I'll leave it at that. You have some girlfriends your age raised in the city don't you? Like Ms. Sato for example? Why don't you talk to her."

Korra almost bust a gut trying to suppress her laughter. Ask Mako's ex-girlfriend? Sure. Why not? What a brilliant, not-at-all-awkward suggestion.

Then again, her options of educated, modern females were rather painfully slim. And she miraculously had some spare time now before the council meeting. And Asami was always in the Future Industries offices around now. And she had to head downtown anyway.

Damn. It was all way too convenient to ignore.

No doubt about it, Korra had reached the point of desperation. She was willing to try anything to get rid of whatever was messing with her abilities. And if Mako was unable to give her time, then she'd have to explore alternative, more efficient ways of taming this unquenchable fire inside of her. Something he'd be unable to refuse.

"You girls have a good time." Pema gave her a supportive pat on the hand before shuffling out of the booth, a now sleepy Rohan muttering his protest as she moved.

Spirits save her, she was about to ask Asami Sato, heiress to one of the largest and most profitable businesses in the world, advice regarding the boyfriend she had accidentally stolen from her. Korra could only pray that, at the very least, her blows had lost some of their bite after months behind a desk.

"Oh and Korra?" Pema had returned to the booth, digging in her robes for something "speaking of being careful." When she found the article, she slowly let it slither out of her sleeve like some kind of perverse magic trick. Korra felt her cheeks flare up as she recognized the bindings she had thrown to the floor of Mako's room in the heat of the moment last night. "This is still a sacred temple. At least _attempt _some subtlety please. Okay?"

She barely managed a nod as she yanked the undergarment off the table and into her lap, eyes glued to her hands as Tenzin's wife finally sauntered out of the kitchen, leaving the Avatar to her mortified thoughts.

* * *

"Korra! How nice to see you! Gosh, it's been ages."

An hour later, Asami was welcoming her with open arms into her spectacular new quarters within the Future Industries administrative offices. Korra shouldn't have expected anything less from the resilient woman. It had been months after all since she and Mako fell apart. For her, the messy relationship was long since water under the bridge, which may or may not have been helped along by the presence of a new, more fitting suitor (if what the gossip columns said was true). For Korra however, the awkwardness felt as fresh as it had the day evil Ikki announced her crush on the girl's boyfriend in the hallways of the temple dormitory.

They hadn't seen much of one another since their return from the South Pole. Not only due to both of their packed schedules but because Korra, admittedly, had been avoiding the heiress like a perfumed plague. Even in the close quarters of the returning ship, they only crossed paths at meals. At that time when she was flying high with the relief of her bending being restored and having her relationship finally established, whenever she met the girl's eyes she felt a pin prick her balloon of happiness, hating that such a altruistic friend had to get hurt in the process. Even now, every second she stayed, the pins continued their assault despite logic insisting that she had moved on. And the balloon was so much smaller, more vulnerable, than it had been back then.

Korra found herself struggling to breathe all of sudden. The massive, velvet-walled office seemed the size of a phonebooth. She was sweating in places she didn't know she could sweat. Asami was asking her a question, her bright green eyes sparkling, mouthing the words through a smile, but she couldn't hear them.

She couldn't do this. She wasn't brave enough.

"Sorry," she ended up stammering a mere minute into the meeting. "I-uh- I got to go!"

Then she ran. She ran fast as she could, nearly barreling into the secretary who came to deliver a tray of tea and biscuits for them.

She'd apologize later. After this mess was sorted, she'd calmly invite the girl out for noodles. Her treat. They'd chat about Future Industries' progress, Bolin's schooling, council activities and so many other normal, safe subjects.

Future Korra would be stable and polite. She would be happy and relaxed and everyone would immediately know and celebrate the fact that she was, obviously, a fully balanced, mature Avatar.

Current Korra? She intended to make herself a hole to crawl into until said future arrived. Then everyone could be happy.

* * *

Naga was given the rare treat of freedom to roam the city that afternoon, as her disheartened master didn't feel as if she had anything better to do until the council meeting.

Running out of Future Industries as if she were on un-bendable fire definitely wasn't the intended method of concluding the long-put-off reunion, but what's done was done and she'd just have to deal with it. Not now. She didn't have the emotional stamina to deal with it _now_. But eventually. Maybe in her next lifetime.

With a sigh of utter defeat, Korra leaned further into the saddle and closed her eyes, coasting on faith that the Polar-bear-dog remembered her training in which colored lights meant what. So far, except for a few gasps of surprise and whispered exclamations of _'is that the Avatar?',_ the ride progressed relatively peacefully. Especially in comparison to their first visit, where satomobile horns, squealing tires, screeches and curses proceeded their every step. Nearly a year in Republic City and Naga had developed a comfortable travel technique, blending seamless into the city crowds which had once been so jarring and foreign to her.

Korra wished that she had been able to do the same. Like a sea-prune in a basket of spice-berries, she felt as if her arrival was still a startling and unappreciated surprise, something blatantly off-color from the rest, perhaps putrid. The city made her feel so simply…simple.

Her seeing and remembering the delicate, cultured and meticulously groomed Asami brought forth feelings buried long ago. Like the reminder that she had a couple of extra inches on her hips than was fashionable, her skin closer to a shade of muddy water than the coveted porcelain. Like the fact she had no idea what the heck mascara was, let alone what to do with it and she had once almost choked to death in a cloud of facial powder. Like the heart-wrenching realization that Mako had so easily and instantly been attracted to that type of woman; the complete opposite of her athletic, brash, somewhat sloppy self. No doubt, everyone thought the man had downgraded. Even her status as the Avatar and the few benefits it entailed were apparently of no appeal.

Allowing her eyes to flutter open, Korra stared into the abyss of the sky in order to gauge the sun's position. Though it felt as if they had been trotting forever, only half an hour had passed. She still had a while to wait until she had to be at City Hall. A more responsible council member probably would have headed over early to catch up on memos and amendment drafts, but the only thing she could think of worse than being alone with her thoughts right now was being alone with the thoughts of diplomats. So Naga was urged onward toward nothing.

It was only a couple of minutes later that the faithful pet grinded to halt, forcing Korra to whip back into attention and frantically search for the upturned car or trampled child that was the source of this behavior. Instead, her eyes met the larger-than-life stare of Chief Bei Fong. The original Chief Bei Fong that is, her colossal statue towering over the Republic City police station plaza like an all-seeing deity.

Korra's glared down at her now ex-best-friend/pet, who's head turned to reveal a tongue-lolling expression of delight. Obviously, she was rather proud at being able to gauge what her master most desired. And, not to mention, the nice man who supervised the cages usually had some spare seal-lion jerky in his desk. It was win-win in the Naga's infuriatingly simple mind. She had no idea of the damage Korra's presence could invoke.

"Nice try," she leaned down and whispered maliciously into a furry ear, knowing that the jerky was probably the most prominent factor in this decision. "But there's no way I'm gonna-"

"Avatar Korra." Her name echoed across the plaza as a statement, not a question nor a greeting. More of an accusation really. Such a transparently hostile tone could only belong to one woman. The new and far from improved (at least personality wise) Chief Bei Fong. Korra fought the urge to bolt for the second time, still hoping not to make a habit of it.

Just when she thought this day couldn't get any worse.

The notoriously ruthless woman was standing at the bottom of the entrance steps, having just dismissed a group of rookies onto patrol. There, she beckoned Korra over with a single finger which prompted her to immediately dismount. She knew that if she didn't move quickly and of her own volition, then those metal cables were likely to string her up like a puppet and force her forward anyway. One could not simply ignore an order from this woman.

"I assume," Lin crossed her arms over her armored chest as she closed the final few feet between them "that you are not here to report an emergency that threatens public safety?"

Korra stared at her feet, tracing patterns along the marble tile with her boot. "No ma'am."

"No, _Chief _Bei Fong," she corrected. "I'm no school teacher."

Actually, Lin _did_ oversee the police academy cadets. So technically she _was _a teacher. But Korra wisely chose to keep that insight to herself.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," she continued, knowing full well that anyone who dared to do such a thing had a death wish "but I believe you were told, on several occasions, not to show your face within a mile of this building barring such an emergency. Is this true?"

The Avatar winced, remembering all too well the last time she had entered the station. On another rare day that Tenzin set her free early from training, she had decided to visit Mako and steal him away for a surprise lunch date. Little did she know that "lunch breaks" for Lin's cadets consisted of either snatching a piece of vitamin-infused cardboard from a vending machine between classes or, if you were really lucky, a sympathetic street vendor would throw some scraps to those on patrol. Learning of the involuntary fasting in addition to the sleepless nights, textbook-a-day readings and muscle-tearing exercises, Korra couldn't help but become worried.

It was a trial of discipline, Mako explained after she had pointed out how absurd and, not to mention, dangerous it was to be pushed to such limits. Cadets were treated harshly because they needed to prove both their commitment and that they could not only survive but flourish under pressure.

To her boyfriend's face, Korra let it go. She'd kissed him quickly and flashed a smile as he returned to his studying. Not a minute later, she had blasted the doors to the Chief's office off their hinges, unashamedly screaming "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" at the top of her lungs. Plus, there may or may not have been some colorful name calling.

Only her respect for the Avatar (NOT its current embodiment) had convinced Lin to let the incident go in addition to never informing Mako of it. But not without certain promises in return.

"_IF_ Mr. Iwamatsu finalizes my training regiment," she had said that day "then he'll have received one of the finest combat and law educations the world can offer. He will be considered one of the best of the best. He will be rewarded handsomely with benefits, a more-than-comfortable income and, most importantly, the highest honors this city can bestow. However," she leaned in close then, pale green eyes narrowed and as threatening as ever "if you ever pull a stunt like this again, if you _ever_ disrespect me or my methods in this place, _MY_ house, then he's out."

Korra was flabbergasted. "Out? Just like that? Just because of me?"

"If any other of my cadet's consorts talked to me like you just did, they'd already be packing. I'm doing you a favor, Avatar Korra. You only get one. Now go."

That was two months ago. Though it pained her every day since then, every time she saw Mako sporting a new cut or passing out in the dining hall or being unable to walk without wincing, she had suppressed the urge to give Lin a taste of her own "training". She had been so good up until now.

"I swear ma'am- I mean, Chief Bei Fong," Korra coughed nervously into her fist. If she got Mako kicked out after all the work he'd done so far, she'd never forgive herself. "My being here is an, admittedly suspicious, coincidence. But still a coincidence! Ya see, I was letting Naga take the lead and-"

"You're blaming the Polar-bear-dog? That's a little derivative, even for you."

"Not blaming. Explaining!"

"Avatar Korra…"

"Lin please!" daring to use her informal name, hoping it would remind the woman that they had a relationship beyond mere Chief of Police and annoying-girlfriend-of-cadet, she fell to her knees. If this shocked Bei Fong, she didn't show it. People probably begged her for stuff every day. Milder charges, less financially crippling tickets, for her to remove her iron heel from their spines, etc. "I seriously didn't mean to come here. Mako's been working so hard. He wants this so badly. I don't know why, but he does. And-and I-I want him to be happy. I need him to be!"

Lin's response was interrupted by an unexpected rumble. Nothing earth shattering. She may not have even noticed it if not for her seismic sense. Though it was enough so that some dust and rocks dislodged from the carved crevices of the station as well as her mother's statue.

Korra, however, remained oblivious, lost to the rant that had been on the tip of her tongue for what seemed like ages. "He says he's doing this for me. To _support_ me. And I hate it! But he needs to see it through. I can't do or say anything or he'll just get mad. I can only- and I keep _trying_ to but-but I can't even-" she gulped, swallowing the confusion, the resentment, forcing it down into her chest where it radiated through her chi paths to her knees and palms, both pressed firmly into the plaza's floor.

Another rumble. This one strong enough that people immediately took notice. Satomobiles pulled off of the road to join the pedestrians staring at the ground in terror. The stall owners surrounding the park desperately began clutching their tables as items shook themselves loose and toppled away. A nearby child screamed. Naga began to whine and pace in anxious circles.

Lin could feel through her feet that the source of the disturbance was nearby. A few feet in front of her in fact. This was confirmed when she stared down at Korra, the legendary Avatar Korra, and saw the marble beneath the girl's wrist begin the crack under the pressure, spreading outward around her like a devastating spider-worm web.

"Agni's breath, will you get a hold of yourself!" Never having been one for hesitation or delicacy, Lin delivered a hearty smack over the girl's head. Not incredibly hard, but enough so that she fell sideways, severing her connection with the earth.

It worked instantly. The plaza stopped shaking as if someone had pulled the disaster's power cord. Which, technically, was exactly what had happened.

"Ow!" Back to her cantankerous self, Korra was rubbing furiously at her temple as well as her thigh that had hit the ground. "I may not be an expert here, but I'm pretty sure there's some kind of _law_ against assaulting a minor!"

"Oh calm down. You've had worse. Here," Lin offered a hand out, which Korra eyed as if it were an Equalist glove alive with sparks.

"This is a trick, isn't it?"

"Only in the sense that I'm trying to get you out of here before this makes front page news."

"Front page?...what are you-"

"Was that the Avatar?" It was the same exclamation she heard many times on the street, but this time it was laced with horror instead of awe.

"She nearly took down the station!" Someone else screeched.

"I knew she was more menace than hero."

"Wha-?" Korra desperately glanced around her, trying to pinpoint the speakers, needing to prove them wrong. "I didn't- What are you-"

"Come," without giving her the chance to argue, Lin reached forward and yanked her to her feet.

"Inside. Now. Get rid of these." She tugged at Korra's wolftail wrap with minimal delicacy, releasing the majority of her long, brown hair to flow freely in the wind. Following suit, Korra worked on the two front ones as Lin put her cloak, then her arm around her shoulders and quickly ushered her up the steps, trying to conceal as many markers of her water tribe heritage as possible.

"Head low. No talking." She hissed just as the first flash of a camera turned the station's glass doors a brilliant shade of white. The once steady murmur of the plaza suddenly increased in pitch and volume as the damage was discovered.

"Call the water benders! The fountain ruptured!" A nearby citizen commanded.

"Someone please help! My son. He fell! He's bleeding!" A mother screeched in panic.

"MY CABBAGES!" A park vendor lamented as if his produce were a fallen lover.

Korra tried to turn, knowing that she could tame the fountain spray, heal the boy and at least pay for the damaged goods, but her shifting only inspired Lin's hold to tighten.

"Wait! I-I can help! I can fix it." she insisted as they crossed the threshold, more camera flashes illuminating the lobby.

"So can many other people. Keep moving."

"You don't understand! I can't just-"

"Chief Bei Fong?" A squad of officers approached, all sporting mixed expressions of curiosity and unease, silently asking what the hell was going on.

"There's a polar-bear-dog out in the plaza. Answers to 'Naga'. You two," she pointed to the closest metal benders "take it for a walk far away from here."

"Chief!" Though it must have been one of the most strange assignments ever given, they saluted and ran off without hesitating. Bei Fong just had that sort of power.

"You," she pointed to one of the women behind the reception desk who couldn't help but flinch "gather the press and prepare a release. I'll be back shortly to deal with them."

"Chief," she too saluted and ran off.

"And you," Lin finally looked down and the shivering young girl under her arm, her expression placid. "Go to my office and lock yourself in."

"Your office?"

"You know the one. It has the warped doors courtesy of your previous ballistic episode. Now go. Quickly."

Assuming she had no choice in the matter judging by the woman's shove, Korra hurried up the stairs while clutching the cloak around herself, praying it would somehow repel the now constant camera flashes.

Bei Fong had saved her yet again, even though she had long since used her one and only favor. Korra could only imagine, with a shudder of terror, what this incident was going to cost.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for lack of Makorra but, as is typical with me, my "simple, fluffy story" has somehow developed all this angst which led to a ridiculously long chapter that I had to break up. Hope people are enjoying it still. Lin is definitely super fun to write and I hope I did her character justice as a hard-ass with a heart of gold. Next chapter, Fire, out soon! Faster depending on reviews :P. Thank you to those who took the time to write something. I greatly appreciate it.


	3. Water - Change

_"You don't drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there."_

**- Edwin Louis Cole**

-. **Equilibrium** .-

Chapter III | **WATER** | Change

She had only meant to rest her eyes.

Just for a second.

But the effects of a sleepless night and subsequent emotional rollercoaster quickly took their toll, dragging Korra into unavoidable unconsciousness. By the time Lin returned to her office, the all-powerful-being was sprawled over one of the guest armchairs with her legs wide and arms flung up over her head. She had also amassed an astonishing puddle of drool onto the leather armrest.

The Chief rolled her eyes for what felt like the thousandth time that day. 'Elegant' would never be a word attributed to this girl. Despite the evidence, it still seemed impossible that Avatar Aang, the wise and poised man who had taught her the importance of honorable justice, could be reincarnated into such a hothead.

"Get up," she barked in greeting, amended with a sharp kick to the furniture.

Korra promptly yelped, attempted to jump to her feet, got tangled in her own legs and consequently crashed to the floor.

Definitely never elegant.

"I spoke to Councilman Tenzin's wife." Lin began without waiting for the ward to recuperate. "She told me you've been having some troubles of a personal nature lately."

While slowly pawing her way back onto the chair, Korra attempted to shake loose the cobwebs of sleep and focus on the bizarre words being delivered. Surely she hadn't just heard that Lin, without some sort of weapon to her head, deliberately communicated with the woman she once tried to have arrested because of a romantic rivalry? And surely Pema, dear, sweet, caring Pema, hadn't thought it a good idea to inform the _law_ of her private indiscretions?

The twinge of betrayal was strong. Almost enough to get the flames between her fingers roaring again. She forced it down with a swallow as she slunk into the inflexible cushions and wiped at the saliva on her cheek, hoping to re-establish a modicum of decorum. "So…What did she tell you? Exactly?"

"She only confirmed some rumors I was already aware of. That you've become sloppy lately with your bending training. You have a habit of disappearing in the middle of the night. You bark at people with no provocation. Every day, the acolytes find some new item slashed or smashed or burned to a crisp within your quarters. Shall I continue?"

Korra could only shrug, all concentration focused on not exploding again and wracking the evidence up even further.

"Are you denying this?" the Chief pressed as she moved behind her desk and lowered herself onto her iron throne. With such a magnificent view of the cityscape spread out behind her, adding an ethereal glow to her silhouette, Korra got the impression she was being grilled by the Queen of Republic City. It was quite intimidating. Which was probably the exact point.

"Nope. No denying," she eventually muttered, refusing to show her discomfort. "It's not exactly news that I have issues."

"I am very well aware of your discrepancies, Avatar. But I had been able to disregard them until now. You nearly destroyed a city block today, causing thousands of yuans in damage and several, thankfully minor, civilian injuries."

At this confirmation, Korra felt her heart leap into her throat. The rage slickly flowing out of her to be overcome by an influx of anguish.

So it was official. Her abilities were causing much more harm than good. The worst part was that she felt hopelessly incapable of changing that.

"I-I didn't mean to," she whispered to no one in particular. "I'm sorry."

"I don't enjoy lying to the press, but the incident has been labelled a natural disaster for now. If the people had one hint of your instability, then you'd become a hunted woman."

"I know."

"I don't care if you have train until every inch of you is raw and bloody. You must gain control over yourself."

"I know."

"I can't have such a thing happen again. It's dangerous. And I won't be able to cover it up next time. I won't _want_ to cover it up."

"I KNOW!" the exclamation burst from her lips before she could stop it, jumping to her feet so that she could tower over the tyrant. "I know, I know, I KNOW! What else can I say!? What do you WANT from me? I'm trying my best!"

"No you're not!" countered Lin, also standing, her façade of calm now shattered. "If you believe your _relationship_ to be the source of this spiritual chaos, then you shouldn't BE in a relationship! It's that simple."

There it was. Out loud at last. The one path that she had been avoiding up until now.

A simple solution, yes. But also completely, utterly heartbreaking. To a physically painful degree. As if her lungs were filling with ice, her chest with fire and her throat with dust. She felt herself drowning in open air.

"That's not fair." The words were barely able to escape her tight throat, fists clench at her sides, eyes threatening a downpour but held back by pride. "How can you even suggest…It's so not fair!"

"Life's not fair. Get used to it." Lin's response, though gruff, was noticeably sympathetic.

A pregnant pause followed, all except for the city humming below them, continuing on as if nothing had changed even though Korra's world had just faded into shades of grey. Eventually, Lin made her way around her desk to stand by the Avatar's side, placing a cool, metal-plated hand on her shoulder. "I took the liberty of informing the Council that you would not be present this evening. I assume this is okay?"

After a long sniff to regain some semblance of composure, Korra nodded her assent. Though she hated the idea of missing meetings and potentially having laws passed which only citizens over the age of fifty would approve of, today she didn't have the stamina to properly pay attention anyway.

"Your pet has been returned to Air Temple Island, in case you were wondering. I've also arranged transport for you to the docks. Take the night to think about things. Figure out where you priorities lay." With her hand still on the girl's shoulder, Lin steered them toward the office's iron doors, still warped from the time Korra blasted her way in to defend Mako.

Mako…

Just thinking his name and her blood turned to fire again.

Spirits, how did they expect her to just let him go?

"Lin?" Korra paused just as the chief raised her hand to bend the metal latches and lead them into the hallway; a step toward the real world she still didn't feel ready to face. She could tell a reprimand for not using her formal title was on the tip of the older woman's tongue, but she courteously held it in just this once.

"Yes, Avatar Korra?"

"How did you do it?"

Lin's eyebrows rose beneath her meticulously cut, silver bangs. "Do what?"

"How did you…" she took a deep breath, preparing herself not to be surprised if a metal plate suddenly smashed in her teeth "get over Tenzin? How did you…move on?"

From the corner of her eye, Korra watched in fascination as Republic City's most celebrated scowl morphed into a grin. The expression was a little more than disconcerting. In fact, after a second or two, it became downright creepy.

"Wait. No. Never mind. Forget I said anything." Whether it was acupuncture or meditation or torturing kitten-bunnies, she decided that she really didn't want to know what inspired such a look. As she tried to move forward though, she was surprised to find herself held firmly in place.

"I didn't." Chief Bei Fong's answer was an apathetic statement. It contained not one ounce of sadness or regret. Just fact; as solid and unyielding as the earth that was her livelihood. "I never will."

Somehow, this was a worse answer than the kitten-bunny torture alternative.

"Then how…am I expected to just …" she trailed off, horrified that her fate may be to end up alone and bitter like the woman beside her.

"Look Avatar," Lin was shaking her head, as if she knew so much more about the world than this simpleton in her office. Which was true. Offensive, but true. "I'm not one for idle chit-chat, so I'll only say this: our pasts, our experiences, are what make us who we are. They help us see our true path. No matter how difficult it may be, people like you and I have to eventually recognize, without self-pity or disappointment, that our fate is perhaps meant to focus on other, grander aspirations than the typical woman. You understand?"

After a moment of contemplation, Korra nodded. She understood. She didn't like it, but she understood.

They really were more alike than either would ever dare to admit.

"Good. Now get the hell out of my station." Bei Fong's scowl was fixed back into place as she unlatched and flung open the doors with the wave of her hand. While still trying to adjust her eyes to the brightly lit hallway, Korra was pushed forward with enough force that she slammed into the opposite wall. "Your ride is waiting for you by the back entrance. Try not to bring attention to yourself. Try not to break anything. And, most importantly, don't make me regret my leniencies today."

With nothing more, the doors were slammed shut, closing the subject forever.

* * *

Once again, Korra didn't hesitate in doing what she was told that day. Like a listless ghost, she floated her way through the police station to the back entrance. There she allowed two armed officers to escort her into a curtained satomobile and then out again at the docks. Alone on the ferry's back deck, she observed the brilliant sun set behind the city with the same enthusiasm as watching grass grow where she had once been in awe.

The extreme quiet, the cool nothingness she was feeling after so long being in a constant state of agitation proved that Bei Fong's advice had been true. It wasn't the Avatar who couldn't handle a relationship, it was her; Korra. She wasn't her mother or Pema who could put all their concentration into their families and be comfortable with sometimes being placed on a back burner. She wasn't Aang or Tenzin who were enough at peace with themselves that they could let some things go in exchange for others, intrinsically knowing the perfect balance.

Like so many other women with lofty positions and short attention spans, it was simply too much to have on their plate without the whole thing being in danger of toppling over.

The decision had been made from the moment she left the Chief's office and all that was left to do was figure out the details, hoping to make it as painless and absolute a separation as possible. She'd speak to Tenzin first and work on finally finding an apartment in the city, subsidized by her so far untouched Council allowance until the police force paychecks started coming in. He'd insist on paying her back of course. She'd donate the money charity. Probably to that shelter for young boys he had once pointed out; a place that had saved he and his brother from starvation and/or freezing to death on more than one occasion.

Bolin would be upset. She'd take him out to Narook's to break the news gently over a plate of his favorite dumplings, insisting that he had nothing to do with the separation and that they could and should remain friends. Though she doubted such a thing would be possible.

And Mako? The sooner he knew of her decision, the better. To be kind, she'd wait until after his law exams seeing as they were his weakest subject. He wasn't planning on returning to the island until they were over anyway.

As the ferry finally docked, Korra imagined the conversation and prepared her uncharacteristically composed responses. She'd explain her reasons, he'd say she was being ridiculous. She would insist that it was not up for debate, he'd try to press. She'd gently turn him away, push him away, until he realized that this was no ruse and there was no changing her mind. He'd leave in fury. She may or may not cry when the brothers moved out, neither eat nor sleep for some days, hating the world and feeling generally sorry for herself. Then, eventually, life would go on. She'd pass her airbending test and be named the certified Avatar, Master of all four elements. She'd begin her tour of the nations. It would be years before she returned to Republic City. By then he would have moved on, always having been the more traditional of the two. He'd probably be married, maybe a kid on the way, living in a spartan but cozy townhouse with red curtains and a kitchen that always smelled of spices.

At this oddly detailed vision, Korra had to pause in the middle of her climb toward the main gates. The indifference with which she viewed this future was beginning to disintegrate, taking her very ability to breathe along with it.

It wasn't fair.

_ Life _isn't fair, she reminded herself. She had more important things to worry about, to focus on, than a boy. To try to squeeze him into her nomadic life would be selfish. He deserved better.

Somehow, switching the emphasis from her pain to his eventual happiness made it possible to take a step forward. And then another. One foot in front of the other until she made it to through the gates and into the courtyard just as the acolytes finished lighting the lanterns, making the island glow with the magic of twilight. She used to love this time of day. It used to give her a sense of calm, knowing that no matter where she was in the world, the sun and moon would always follow, always paint whatever building or cave or hut she occupied in the same, familiar colors. It helped her understand the illusion of separation.

But not tonight. Tonight all seemed grey and cold and alien. It was also louder than usual. Voices could be heard whispering passionately, echoing throughout the plaza. This was especially odd as sunset was when all residents practiced their evening prayers. As she rounded the bend to the Master's villa, the peace-defilers were revealed to be an unexpected duo in a very unexpected stance.

Tenzin and Mako stood glaring at each other, toe to toe, off in an alcove near the entrance. The airbending Master was dressed in his formal robes, most likely on his way to the council meeting, and Mako wore his standard grey cadet uniform, accentuated with a red sash and stitching to mark him as a firebender. As she took a couple of careful steps closer, Korra couldn't help but notice how disheveled he was in comparison to usual. Lin was known to be pretty strict about her in-uniform cadets being pristine and perfect when outside of the station arena, but here Mako looked as if he had just teleported in from the midst of a war zone. His hair was damp with sweat, half the brass buttons of his coat left undone and every inch of skin she could see was streaked with dirt or ash.

This was strange. Stranger still that neither of them had noticed her unconcealed approach, despite both being well trained to detect attacks.

"You can't stop me," she heard her boyfriend growl to the man he had never shown anything but deference toward. "You have no right."

"How dare you assume to have such freedoms yourself! This isn't a game, young man."

"I know that! I didn't ask for the fun of it. I was- I AM serious."

"Then you'll be just as serious in a couple of years. Or not."

"I don't need to prove anything to you! And I also don't need your permission."

"Why you insolent, little-"

"Ahem!" Unwilling to witness any more of this awkwardness, Korra cleared her throat just as she took the final step into their not-so-secret space. Both Tenzin and Mako jumped at the sound, eyes wide with shock.

"Hi," she greeted with a little wave, hoping to break the tension. "What's up guys?"

"Wha- How long have you-" The men exchanged nervous glances. "What are you doing here?"

"What am _I_ doing here?" Korra repeated, feeling as though her confusion should be obvious. Apparently nobody was in the mood to humor her tonight. "Aren't _you_ supposed to be at City Hall defending the rights of something cuddly? And aren't _you,_" she shifted her attention to Mako with a finger pointed in his face "supposed to have your forehead glued to a textbook, copying lines of 'thou shalt not slap litterers'?"

Again they exchanged glances, communicating in a language Korra could not decipher to her annoyance. After a few glares and, eventually, a nod from the Temple Master, Mako took a step forward. "Tenzin was just leaving," he explained brusquely with a quick glance over his shoulder to assert the statement.

"Yes. I was." Though his expression didn't seem to agree, Tenzin moved to exit the alcove anyway. "Take advantage of some rest tonight Korra," he called as he stomped past the couple out into the courtyard. "I'll expect you at training first thing in the morning. We have a lot of work to do!"

With no more than that, he was gone; seemingly kicked off his own island by a teenage cop in training. It all but begged the question:

"What is going on here?"

Mako ignored her for a spell, eyes glued to his adversary's orange-clothed back until it was completely out of sight. This gave her just enough time to become anxious, remembering the decision made on the ferry ride over. She had expected to have a night alone to refine the details, and then a few days after that to put things in motion. His unanticipated presence here tonight was screwing everything up; the meticulous plans which were the only things holding her emotions in check.

"Let's go." She was still debating what to do, what to say, when Mako reached for her wrist and made a decision for them, dragging her away from the plaza lights and toward the less civilized portion of the island. There was a small stretch of wooded area that separated the temple proper from the bison caves where they had long since discovered they could find some semblance of privacy.

He was leading her to a familiar spot nestled between some trees with conveniently thick foliage. There they had had many pleasant though brief trysts in the early days. Before he had discovered how truly unprepared he was for the police academy courses, before her bending went haywire and their rare conversations contained more spiteful words than supportive ones. What she wouldn't give to go back there, to when ignorance was bliss. How bright the future had looked in his brilliant amber eyes, glittering in the sunlight and crinkled at the corners as he laughed then moved in for another, enthusiastic kiss. Those same eyes were now dull with weariness, their coloring closer to a copper coin corroded by time.

How long had they been unhappy? She tried to pinpoint the day, the hour when things had started to decay but kept coming up blank. Knowing when it happened wouldn't change the fact that it had happened. It wouldn't change the inevitably of their ending.

He slowed down before entering the clearing, turning to help guide her through the tree roots as his gentleman's conscience prompted him to. As irritating as she sometimes found such coddling, it was sure to be one of the things she'd miss most when he was gone.

"Korra," he began once they settled behind the shelter of the trees. His stare was firm, bordering on spiteful. She braced herself for the worst though she had no idea what that may entail. "I know you're wondering why I'm here. Yes, I have an exam tomorrow. A big exam. The biggest and most difficult one I've had to take so far."

"I get it Mako," Korra interrupted with a dismissive little wave. "Please get to the point. We're _both_ busy people."

"Fine," he took a deep breath, obviously practicing an anger reducing exercise similar to her own before moving on. "You knew about this. I've told you how important it was to me. And now, after last night, I couldn't…" another breath and a hand went through his sticky hair as if hoping to physically push away the frustration. "I can't concentrate. Especially not after I heard what you did today."

Korra could not help but groan. Of course a cadet had witnessed her involuntary meltdown and had to go broadcast it through the entire school. Even Bei Fong couldn't quell a force as powerful as teenage gossip.

"I'm fine by the way," she spat, annoyed that his reaction dared to be annoyance. "And so is the station so I don't know why you're making such a big deal."

"The station?" Mako repeated, brows furrowed. "I'm talking about your little visit to Future Industries. What were you doing at the station?"

"Wait. How did you know I was at Future Industries?"

"I asked you first! Are you _trying _to get me kicked out?"

"Wha-" She didn't know which blow to defend against first as they were coming in too fast. "How could I get you-"

"I know, okay!" Mako spat with untamed ferocity. "Everyone in both the academy and the force knows how my _girlfriend_ tried to bully Chief Bei Fong to go easier on me. You weren't exactly subtle. There's not a day that goes by that I _don't_ hear about it and I'm probably never gonna live it down! But that's not what the problem is."

Funny, it seemed like a pretty big problem. Especially the idea that he had been stewing with this knowledge for over two months and never once approached her about it. Though one could argue that maybe he was trying to spare her feelings, all it led to was her feeling duped. Korra definitely did not appreciate being made a fool of.

"How come you never-"

"Just answer the question. Why did you go visit Asami and then, after she cancelled an important meeting to see you, end up bolting as if your life depended on it?"

"She didn't tell me she cancelled a meeting. That's not my fault! And, I repeat, how the heck do you know all this?"

"Korra, for the love of-" He stopped himself yet again, clenching his fists into the air as if hoping to get a grip on some sanity for the infuriating woman in front of him. After taking a few seconds to calm down, Mako decided to be the bigger person and relinquish what she wanted. Anything to move forward. "Asami comes to the station every week to drop off permit applications. We go to lunch sometimes. Happy now?"

Korra could feel her entire body begin to shake with rage. 'Happy' was definitely not the right word to describe her mood at that moment.

"You told me you don't get lunch breaks...you said-"

"I know what I said. And it is true. But we do get a few, unscheduled rest periods throughout the day. It was impossible to coordinate with you and her office is nearby. So-"

"So you've been cheating on me because it's _convenient?_"

"I said we had lunch. How does that translate to cheating?"

"If it was so innocent, why didn't you tell me?" Not to mention, why was the head of the company running delivery errands to the permits office when she had a goddamn team of assistants to cater to her every whim? It didn't make any sense.

"Because I KNEW you'd do exactly this!" Mako screeched, all sense of control evaporating into the cool night air as smoothly as their breaths turned to vapor. "I knew you'd freak out and jump to ridiculous conclusions and I couldn't deal with that. Your existence is distracting enough. You-you drive me crazy! Absolutely, out-of-my-mind, punch-a-hole-through-a-wall CRAZY! And," his breathing was haggard now, fists still clenched and eyes shiny even in the dim moonlight that filtered through the trees. "And…I…Korra- I can't…"

She knew then exactly what he wanted to announce. It was decided, as a parting gift, she would save him the pain of having to say it first.

"And we can't go on like this any longer."

As all the oxygen seemed to be sucked out of the space between them, Korra began to feel to pressure of the surrounding water. She felt the pull of the waves eager to jump at her slightly provocation and drown them both here and now, cleansing this horrid scene of all the hurt and suffering until everything became a clean slate once again. Back to the beginning when this exact spot had been a sweet-scented haven instead of a claustrophobic confessional.

She denied the urge easily this time, pushing against it until the wild waters of Yue Bay became as still as a mountain wishing well. Couples marching along the boardwalk miles away were able to peer into the canals and see their unblemished reflections perhaps for the first time. At last, everything was clear.

It was over.

"Answer me this," Mako eventually broke the unnaturally long silence. "Did you ever even- Do you want me to succeed in this? In becoming an officer I mean?"

Korra smiled, albeit a shadow of her usual bright, lopsided grin. "I really didn't," she admitted with a slight chuckle. Only the slight cracks in her voice betrayed her true feelings. "I wanted you to give up everything to be with me. I wanted you not to exist when I was busy and then to spring to life when I needed you, always there at my beck and call for support or love or just plain company. It was a stupid, selfish and ultimately impossible dream. I know that now. I'm sorry for making this so much harder on you than it had to be."

The firebender could only blink stupidly for a while at this uncharacteristic admission of guilt. But soon enough, his lips also began to morph into an uneasy yet appreciative grin. "It's okay." He had been convinced he was a failure as a boyfriend for so long, it was so very relieving to hear that it wasn't entirely his fault. "For what it's worth, I-"

_"All units. Attention all units."_

An ear-piercing crackle of static interrupted, causing both of them to wince. Korra watched in confusion as Mako reached for a handheld radio attached to his belt; an accessory usually worn by only on-duty, full-fledged officers.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he pulled out the antennae, embarrassed that her complaint of him being too busy was being proven spot-on right in the middle of their conversation. "I gotta. You know…"

Korra nodded. This was his life after all. After tonight, she would have no reason to be annoyed.

_"We have a T-22 at 283-B West, in the Dragon Flats. All F-squad units report to scene immediately. Over and out."_

Mako sighed as he crammed the antennae back down and re-hooked the radio to his belt. "Fire," he explained while making an effort to properly re-attach the buttons of his uniform coat and smooth down his hair. "Though I'm not graduated yet, I'm one of only three firebenders both officially and unofficially on the force. They need me."

"Sure. I understand." Korra grinned again where she may have once pitched a fit at him leaving at such a quintessential moment. The city was his lover now. It had her blessing, for the entire world had become hers.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise." And then, to her shock, he casually placed a hand behind her neck and pulled her into a kiss. He kissed her with the usual hunger and passion that proved how annoyed he was at the interruption, how much he wanted to stay, as if she were the very center of his universe. When he pulled away, he was smiling.

"I love you," he whispered, before giving one last, lingering peck which left her mouth agape. "We'll talk. Later."

With nothing more, he jetted off into through the trees, the grey of his uniform instantly dissolving into the shadows. Korra could do nothing but blink as she watched him go.

* * *

After a quick dip in the pond in an attempt to clear her mind, Korra eventually found herself sauntering back toward the villa. Her conversation with Mako had ended with more questions than answers, and the only conclusions she could settle on were the three familiar yet clashing ones; that Mako needed to complete his officer's training, that she couldn't be a balanced Avatar while stewing in romantic disappointments and, most notably, both of them had a desperate desire to get closer, to force it to work. Somehow. As if they were two puzzle pieces from the opposite sides being crammed together and creating a ghastly image.

She let loose an exhausted sigh as she crossed the training pavilion, the tendrils of her hair dripping dark, blood-like splatters onto the carved symbols of yin and yang. It occurred to her that she could easily water bend herself dry, but she found she preferred being chilled. It made everything sharper, somehow. The slight breeze made every inch of her skin prickle, the hair at the back of her neck standing at attention.

It made her feel lighter. It made her blissfully forgetful of all the drama in her life.

Without a second thought seeing as she was in the perfect location and her brain was too frazzled to sleep anyway, Korra began to cycle through her Chi-La airbending routine. She took a deep breath, allowing the cool oxygen to fill all her empty spaces. Throat. Lungs. Heart. Soul. Then she began to dance. Though she would never admit it out loud, she greatly enjoyed this specific exercise. It was like fighting without the vulnerability and like meditating without the having the sit still. She only had to let her limbs loosen and follow where the breeze took her; left and right, her arms, elbows, knees and feet up and down, whipping around her like leaves in a tornado. It was freedom incarnate.

"KORRA!"

At least it usually was.

She skidded to a halt at the edge of the platform, breathing heavily although she didn't notice being active for so long. A glance up toward the villa revealed a distraught-looking Pema racing toward her as fast as she could with a wailing infant clutched to her chest.

Korra didn't know how or why but she felt herself instantly fill with dread. Her head whipped toward the usually peacefully, glowing cityscape and found a heavy cloud of smoke hovering over a certain quadrant. The Dragon Flats quadrant to be specific.

It was definitely more than one little house fire could produce. More than twenty house fires could produce. Before her very eyes she witnessed the lights in said area flicker and die. She could practically hear the screams, hundreds of them, echoing over the bay, practically blaring into her ears despite the distance.

"No…"

She tried not to panic. He was only a cadet after all. Still in training. Bei Fong wouldn't…

"Korra!" Pema was at her side then, gripping her arm desperately, mumbling through tears about some radio announcement.

A gang war, she was saying. The Agni Kai versus the Red Monsoon versus the Triple Threats, arguing over the now severely limited territory in which they could conduct business. The police were completely overwhelmed. It was chaos. Some kind of new weapon had been introduced, propelling deadly pellets of metal at an inescapable speed and quantity. People, civilians, gang members, police, anyone and everyone, were dropping like flies.

Still, Korra kept level, ignoring the pressure in her veins itching for release.

Mako was probably at the station right now with his nose buried into a book. He had his big exam tomorrow after all. It was important to him. The most important exam yet. Surely he wouldn't risk that. Surely…

'_I'm one of only three firebenders both officially and unofficially on the force.' _His words echoed in her mind, stated only an hour ago. '_They need me.'_

Tears of frustration sprang into her eyes as she succumbed to reality. He wasn't reading a book right now. No way would he do that if he thought he could somehow help. Even without armor, even without bending, Mako would never avoid giving aid. She hated him for it.

_'I love you,'_ he had whispered. Only an hour ago he had been smiling. _'We'll talk. Later.'_

He was there. Right in the middle of it. She was sure. And there was no way he was going to walk out unscathed.

It happened before anyone, not even Korra, could prepare themselves.

An inhuman scream echoed across the bay, bringing all citizen of the Republic City to terrified attention.

All at once, all flames within a mile flared ten times their natural levels. The tide rose into a massive wall of water, forcing fisherman and pleasure cruisers to abandon ship before it released with enough force to flood the every street within two blocks of the shoreline. The earth shook hard enough that anything and everything unsecured was thrown violently to the ground.

Pema, cradling her baby tightly to her chest for protection, was flung off her feet as the Avatar ascended from the now shattered pavilion, a vision with glowing blue eyes, encased by revolving chains of the elements she commanded.

Completely ignorant of the damage caused, she flew toward the city at an inhuman speed, the wind roaring in her wake.

Smoke and blood and pain were the last things Korra remembered.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I'm having fun with this fic, despite it getting a little dark in theme. I realized after wrapping this up there that was more mention of fire in the first chapter and more of water in this one, so I switched up the element titles. Hopefully it'll all flow nicely once everything is done.

Thank you again for your support. Hope you continue to be entertained and please review.

Mayonaka


	4. Air - Patience

_"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."_

**- Henry David Thoreau**

-. **Equilibrium** .-

Chapter IV | **AIR** | Patience

Korra awoke as if it had been any other day.

The same, irksome sunlight was filtering through the paper shutters, tracing patterns on the same white sheets in the same small cot she had been occupying for the past year on Air Temple Island. For a few blissful moments, as her heavy eyelids blinked away the remnants of sleep, her primary concern was that she was late for airbending practice and Tenzin was going to be pissed.

Then suddenly, like a brutal strike to the gut, she remembered.

"Mako."

The sheets were ripped off her legs as she lauched herself toward the door, nearly tearing it off its track in her desperation to move faster. She winced as she rounded the corner but didn't slow down, inspecting with her fingers the bandages around her stomach and upper arm.

It hurt. It _really_ hurt. Every step seemed to increase the agony tenfold. More than the burns or ice slashes or air punches that she obtained on practically a daily basis, these wounds felt deep. As if something had torn her from the inside out. Though such a realization may have inspired some people to take it easy, Korra only became more desperate. If this was the result of her arriving into the battle an hour late, she could only imagine the horrors inflicted upon those who answered the original call.

"Mako!" she screamed into the dreadfully empty hallway.

Nothing.

Where the hell was everyone? She rounded another corner to arrive at the villa's entrance and used what remained of her strength to fling open the heavy, oak doors. "Mak-"

"Korra!"

She barreled into a small but sturdy body stationed just outside on the plaza. Though her head pounded and her vision blurred, Korra immediately recognized the feel of seal-lion fur in her grip as well as the coarse fabric from her native people's looms.

"Master Katara?" Bright blue eyes, a shade paler than her own, looked up at her with concern, the wrinkles of her forehead creasing deeply. "Wha-what are you-"

Korra's knees buckled without warning and she went limp, unintentionally pulling the ancient woman down with her. With a surprising amount of strength for someone her age, Katara managed to lower them both gently to their knees.

"There, there dear," she whispered as they settled onto the sun-warmed stones. "You really shouldn't be up and about yet. Your wounds are quite severe. Deeper than even I could heal in more than one-"

Korra could only wave her hand in interruption. Her head spun sickeningly, worse than the time Tahno had goaded her into trying cactus juice at the Pro-Bending gala, but still one searing question remained at the forefront of her mind.

"Mako. Where is he? Tell me where he is. Please." Despite her usual insistence on hiding any and all signs of weakness, in that moment Korra found that she couldn't care less. She shamelessly bunched her fists into Katara's robe, trying to simultaneously extract the answers and swallow down the pain. "Please," she repeated with a newfound desparation, her entire body shaking with the effort to stay conscious. "I have to know. Just tell me. I have to know. Please!"

"Korra, you must calm down. Your wounds-"

"Korra!" Though she couldn't see him, she recognized the voice of Tenzin as well as his light footfalls fluttering closer. "You foolish girl! You should be resting!"

"Please…" was all she managed to sputter between huge gulps of air. "_Please_!"

"Please? Please what?"

"She wants to see the firebender boy," Katara explained, her voice adopting a somber air.

The airbending Master's pace slowed as he took the final steps towards them, also becoming more solemn than usual. "Oh. Oh, of course."

Neither spoke for seconds that stretched into eternity. It was all the proof Korra needed.

She could hear it in their voices, in the hesitation, as loudly as if they were shouting from the rooftops. Nobody who answered the call to Dragon Flats could have come out unscathed. Especially a cadet with limited training, no armor and an immeasurable desire to help those in need no matter the consequences.

Nobody.

Korra felt herself falling.

"Hey. **Hey**!" With a jolt, her eyes opened to see Tenzin hovering over her, hands gripped to her shoulders and roughly shaking. A wave of anguish was rising up inside of her, so potent that Korra could only cower beneath the waters and hope to drown before it hit. But Tenzin was shaking her again and she was yanked back into reality, unable to do anything but watch as the truth loomed closer like a demon of legend. She knew it would be the death of her. She found herself strangely okay with that.

"He's alive, alright! Mako is alive. Did you hear me? Snap out of it!"

"Sweetie, please." Katara's voice sounded far away and distressed. "Come back to us. He's alive. I promise you, he's alive."

With a blink and a slow breath, Korra let the words settle into her purposefully dulled brain. She stewed over them for a while, let them swish and simmer and consume all those other, darker thoughts much like an ocean predator. Soon, to the visible relief of her both her Sifus, the light faded from her eyes. She even managed a smile, though it was a mere shadow of its former glory.

Mako was _alive_.

That was all the mattered.

Unable to do much else, Korra weakly lifted her hand up to Tenzin in offering.

"Take me to him."

* * *

The reason for their reluctance became obvious as soon as Katara slid open the bamboo door.

He was laid out in one of the villa's family suites as they were larger and could accommodate the various, strange machines attached to him. Also it had a private water closet so that the acolytes who changed his dressings daily had an easier time of it.

With the help of Tenzin, Korra took an eager step into the space, closer to the practically unrecognizable body that was still and silent on the bed.

Almost every inch of him was covered in plaster or linen bandages, and the little bits of flesh peeking out on his face and left bicep were yellow and black with bruises.

One step closer and she could see the patch where they had shaved the unruly, black hair she loved so much to make way for a crescent of ugly, swollen stitches.

Another step and she noticed his splinted index and middle fingers, the ones he used to re-direct lightning, were slathered in some sort of jelly solution. She leaned a little closer and saw that the joints at their base had jagged, red lines all the way around, the pieces glued together like a macabre puzzle. All of a sudden she was fighting the urge to be sick.

"Now, now. It's going to be alright." Tenzin had felt her wavering under his arm and braced himself to support her. "With a combination of water healing and modern medicine, I've been assured that there will be little to no nerve damage. You'll see."

Korra forced herself to swallow down the bile as she reached a shaking hand out to hover over Mako's. Guided by an unknown force, her fingers floated up along his arm, over his forehead and eyes, caressing without touching. She wanted to heal him, hold him, do something, _anything_ to make it better, but he had obviously long since been taken care of to the best of everyone's abilities. From Republic City and beyond.

"How long has he been like this?" Korra asked quietly, daring to brush a strand of hair away from one of his blackened eyes.

"Four days." The waterbending Master took a few, shuffling steps closer to join them at the bedside. "It was a lot worse when we got him. He's strong."

Though Korra could not imagine anyone looking worse than this, she grinned a little anyway. Mako was indeed strong. He was the strongest person she had ever met.

She hated that she couldn't remember anything about that night in the Dragon Flats. How and when had he lost the fingers? What had led to him becoming so incredibly _broken_ while she got away with a measly two strikes? What, exactly, had happened?

"Avatar Korra!" All three of their heads whipped around to face a little girl of about four or five, with long black pigtails that nearly reached her waist, standing in the doorway. Her expression was one of awe and admiration as she squeezed the bunch of peonies in her tiny fists to the point of crushing them. "I knew it was you! I knew it! Wow!"

Korra glanced up at Tenzin, who only shrugged. "Do I…know you?"

"Tai Quin. Manners." A dark figured stepped out from behind the door, her black armor as pristine as always, though her face now sported a new, diagonal scar from her forehead straight to her left ear. She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and pushed her forward a little. "We only have a couple of minutes. Pay your respects and I'll get you home before dinner."

"Yes Auntie Lin." With abrupt seriousness, the girl marched herself to the other side of the bed. There, she reached over the nightstand to pluck a wilted bouquet out of a wonky clay vase before replacing it with the fresh one. She then turned to Mako and gave a formal bow that lasted several seconds.

"It's good to see you on your feet again, Avatar." The three turned back to ackowledge the Chief of Police who was leaning against the doorframe with inescapable exhaustion. "I wish I could say the same to all my officers."

"How many is it now?" Tenzin asked quietly.

Lin caught Korra's gaze before responding; taking in the shiny eyes, disheveled clothing and general weakened state, holding onto her airbending Master as if he were the only thing keeping her from collapsing. This damaged girl didn't need to know the statistics.

"Far fewer than it would have been if not for Korra," she answered vaguely but honestly. "And none of them civilian thanks to a few brave cadets like this one."

"Officer Mako is mmyyyyy hero!" Tai Quin's enthusiasm was back on as if it were controlled by a switch. She raced back around the bed and latched onto her chaperone's leg like a succubus. Lin failed to hide her discomfort. "Auntie Lin called mommy to tell us to leave, but there was fire in the stairs and we couldn't. And-and then we were on the roof! And then there was all these sounds like _pchou pchou_."

"A new weapon that Hiroshi Sato never had the chance to unveil but was already in production outside the city," Bei Fong explained, her lips becoming a tight, thin line. "If I had known…"

"Lin, there was no way you could have-"

"And then," the little girl interrupted Tenzin, eager to continue her epic tale. "Officer Mako was just all _whoosh_!" she made a gesture with her hands, parting the air like a swimmer's breast stroke. "The fire went away for a bit and we got down! And then he went in again because Daddy thought Mr. Misho may still be home. He's old. So Mako brought Mr. Misho out! And Casey and Penelo and Mrs. Ichiro who had been hiding in the basement and…And it was soooo hot, but he went again! And…and then…" her face fell, all animation vanishing from her eyes to be replaced with pain. Her story suddenly wasn't a thrilling anecdote of heroism. It was a nightmare.

With a gasp, Tai Quin buried her face into Chief Bei Fong's hip and stayed there, her shoulders trembling.

"The building collapsed," Lin continued softly, recognizing in Korra's expression the need to know. "No one was in there but Mako. He was crushed. He wouldn't have lived ten more seconds if you hadn't arrived when you did and got him out."

"Got him out?" Korra repeated, her voice rising in pitch as she couldn't help but envision the horrifying scene.

A building had done this. An _entire_ building had fallen on top of him. It was a miracle he was more than just a pile of blood and guts. But he was here, breathing (though with the air of a machine) and all in one piece (at least now that the digits were re-attached). It all seemed so unbelievable. So impossible. "How could I have-How did this…What did I-"

"I think that's enough talking for today," Lin interrupted, placing a shielding hand on the back of the child who clung to her. She shot a pointed look at her ex-companion.

"Yes. Yes, she's right," added Tenzin. "We are all safe. The city is putting itself back together. The best thing you can do for both the people and yourself now is to rest and get better."

"But-"

"You're due for another healing session," Katara continued with a reassuring smile. "The sooner you get back to full strength, the sooner you can help me with Mako's injuries. Sound good?"

It was the only thing in this world that could have convinced Korra to leave that room. Her waterbending Sifu knew her annoyingly well.

Slowly, obviously unsure, she nodded her consent to the plan. Her wounds were indeed beginning to ache with a vengeance from her earlier mad dash. The once all-powerful Avatar didn't even protest when Tenzin reached an arm beneath her knees and scooped her up like the pathetic ragdoll she felt she was.

"Do not worry," Katara was whispering as they stepped into the hallway, noticing that the girl's sharp, blue eyes remained glued in the bed-ridden figure's direction even after it was out of sight. "He's not going anywhere."

Korra released a shaky breath against Tenzin's shoulder.

That was exactly the problem.

It was funny how she had once yearned, not so long ago, for a skewed version of exactly this. For him to be closer to her, dependent on her and basically dormant when not in her presence.

Korra now knew, with startling lucidity, that you had to be very, very careful what you wished for.

* * *

She dreamt that night.

At least it seemed like a dream.

Through flames and dust she saw the streets of Republic City in a state of chaos. She smelled the smoke, heard the panic and felt the sting of the new weapons' ammunition as it tore through the muscle of her bicep. Not enough to slow her down, but enough to garner her attention.

It was as if she were possessed by a wild beast. Ferocious and untamed, guided not by reason but by pure, dense instinct.

She saw her hands rise in front of her and send out bursts of flame, hotter and more controlled than she had ever before produced, hitting nothing but armed miscreants. She saw the ground rise to create shelter for some cowering families and injured officers. And eventually, in the distance, she saw him.

Everything else faded.

She started to fly.

She watched him, dirty and exhausted, as he deposited a little girl with long pigtails into the arms of her weeping mother. That ratty red scarf of his was knotted around his hand and had darkened a couple of shades as the blood soaked through, yet he still dove back into that apartment building. Even though it was completely engulfed in blue-hot fire. Even though it was too far gone for his bending to have nearly any effect. Still, he went back. Just in case.

She watched, helpless, as the whole thing, all four floors of it, began to shudder and tilt. Another pellet hit her, this time in the stomach. This one she did feel, the pain shooting through her chi paths with enough force that she momentarily stalled, the glow flickering. But it wasn't enough to stop her. Nothing but death could have stopped her.

Closer. Closer.

Not fast enough. Not nearly fast enough!

She watched through the somehow transparent flames as he struggled, fruitlessly, to budge a fallen structural beam from pinning his leg as the very floor beneath him crumbled. The pain and terror didn't last long at least. Within seconds, a chunk of cement from the upper floor met with his temple and he stopped trying.

But she was still too far. Still too slow.

It couldn't end like this.

Could it?

The lower level went first, bending under the pressure much like monks fell to their knees in prayer. The little girl screamed. Or was that her own voice?

There was a blinding flash. Large, jagged chunks of cement and twisted metal cut through the air like leaves in the wind, heedless of the destruction left in their wake.

Gang members, police officers, civilians…they all stopped fighting, staring in terrified awe as the light engulfed the entire scene. Everyone was suddenly equalized, all bound by the same, desperate goal:

Getting out of her way.

* * *

She awoke with a scream, her face covered in both sweat and tears.

On that, the fifth day since the battle for the Dragon Flats, Korra began to realize how truly terrifying the Avatar could be.

* * *

It was on the sixth day that Katara deemed her fit to help with Mako's daily healing session.

Still new to repairing anything as deep and complex as bones or organs, she was assigned to a rather gruesome gash on his calf as the Master worked, as she always did, on the more delicate tasks of his collapsed lung, ruptured spleen and swollen brain. An acolyte named Amaranth busied himself with basic upkeep, replacing bags of fluid and bandages with fresh ones and ensuring that all the cast molds were in place and doing their job properly.

With the attempted indifference of a professional, Korra peeled away the sticky wrapping and tried to imagine that this warped limb belonged to a stranger. She focused all her energy on resuscitating the crushed cells through her own essence just as she had been taught all those years ago and didn't dare think of anything else.

The three of them worked for over two hours until they were drained. It was all they could do that day, even though it seemed to make excruciatingly little amount of difference.

"Patience," Katara whispered to her with a reassuring squeeze on the arm before she and Amaranth exited the room.

Patience…

What a strange concept it was. Much like bending, it seemed to be a skill that you were either born with or not. In that moment, she would have gladly traded any of her elements to invoke such a power.

She stayed behind afterwards, settling with purpose into the chair opposite Mako's bed. Nobody dared to argue. Not even Tenzin when he came by at dusk to provide her with a lantern and some dinner.

The next day, Katara returned with one of the city's non-bender surgeons in tow. Korra feigned sleep as they discussed the next steps in their healing strategy out in the hallway, apparently oblivious to her presence a mere paper door away. She especially pretended not to hear when the word "if" was used liberally.

_If_ the shattered femur knits properly…

_If_ the nerves of the index finger reattach…

_If _the swelling on the brain reduces…

_If_ he wakes up.

If…

When they finally did enter the room, Korra was already on her feet and working on that same leg gash. Her eyes were hard, focused on the task and nothing else.

Katara didn't say a word as she bent some water out of the nearby basin and tried, yet again, to heal his soundless mind.

* * *

On the eighth day, Asami stopped by.

She had a brand new radio clutched to her chest as she approached the chair Korra had been calling home for the past several days and nights. This was apparently her third visit to the island since the now famous battle but Korra had been unavailable the previous two times.

"I was told that music helps," she explained as she reached down beneath the night stand to plug in the device. Not two seconds later she was scrambling for the dial after it blared to life at a ludicrous volume, as if the brass-band dance number were being played live inside the very room.

Korra laughed for the first time in days at the mortified expression on her face when Tenzin screeched his disapproval from down the hall.

They chatted for a while after that. All normal, safe subjects like Future Industry's airplane production, the new noodle place that opened up in town, Korra even dredged up a compliment for Asami's more practical, aviator wardrobe.

"Well I can't exactly be soaring the skies in a frilly skirt now, can I? Why it may just fly up over my face and then where would the company be?" She winked and Korra smirked.

After having exhausted generic pleasantries and every other mindless conversation topic, they all too soon fell into an uneasy silence. Each took turns stealing glances toward their comatose third party member, the fear and anger and hurt and worry twisting inside of them until it felt ready to burst.

"I should go," Asami said abruptly, making a show of looking at her watch. "They might need me at the office."

Korra knew she should probably say something polite, perhaps insist that Mako would be so happy that she had visited and then wish her a safe journey. A normal, balanced person could have practiced such etiquette easily, especially for a friend, no matter the circumstances.

Needless to say, Korra wasn't normal.

Her and Mako's last conversation had been repeating in her head over and over, ad nauseam for the past several days. He had excused spending his breaks with his ex-girlfriend because she had been stopping by the station to deliver permits. Even though she had a whole team of assistants for such mundane tasks.

No matter which way you looked, it didn't make any sense. There had to exist secrets.

"Asami." Korra caught the girl's wrist just before it was out of reach.

The heiress audibly winced at the contact, as if the touched burned. She didn't say anything. Just waited.

"He told me. About you two…seeing one another." The words felt like dry ice on her tongue, but she couldn't let it go. Not if she wanted any semblance of peace. "I- I don't care, ya know? I don't care what he or you or both of you did. It's in the past. It doesn't matter now. Okay?"

Asami's response was…unexpected to say the least.

She laughed. She laughed long and hard and shattered.

"Oh Korra. You're so very _blind_ sometimes." She said this in a tone that was half chastising, half compliment as she shook her wrist free of her grip. She then turned around while digging into her coat pocket and eventually producing a shiny brass rectangle covered in random indentations. This she held in front of Korra's face, pressing it closer until she had no choice but to reach out and take it.

"What is it?"

Asami grinned, confident attitude firmly back in place. "Ask him when he wakes up. And say 'I told ya so' from me, K?"

With a playful pat on the head, she took her leave. Unencumbered this time.

After the door had closed behind her swaying hips, Korra took a moment to scrutinize the object left in her possession. She turned it right and left under the light, hoping for some kind of eureka marking to reveal itself. She repeated this up until the radio's smooth jazz heralded in the sunset. Alas, it remained as obscure as ever.

Sighing, Korra placed the enigma on the bedside table right by Mako's head, wishing not for the first time that she could figure out what had been going on inside of it.

Ask when he wakes up.

_If_ he wakes up…

* * *

Tenzin dropped by later the following night, the ninth night, to bring her supper as had now become routine. As soon as the tray was placed, Korra began the interrogation she had been designing for the past several hours.

"You were arguing," she stated bluntly, attempting to catch her Master's eye. "The night of the Dragon Flats battle, I saw you and Mako on the plaza yelling at each other. Did I not?"

Knowing Tenzin could never lie, she wasn't surprised to hear him sigh with defeat. "Yes. We were…debating something."

"What?"

"It is not my place to say."

"Tenzin…" she growled, leaning forward in her seat. "I need to know."

"No you don't. Not until he wakes up and can tell you himself. That's his right and I will respect it."

_If_ he wakes up.

"Tenzin, please. I-"

"Goodnight Korra."

That was the end of the conversation.

* * *

The next night, the tenth night, it was Pema who came to deliver her meal. Korra was just finishing up healing a bruise on Mako's cheekbone now that all the open wounds were sealed. Though the majority of him was still wrapped in bandages, he was beginning to look recognizable. The young Tai Quin had even flushed with joy, proclaiming him to be "beautiful!" upon her visit earlier that day.

It was nice to hear. Unlike the radio new reports which she had long since decided to ignore.

Asami's gift was doling out constant reminders that the world was angry with their Avatar for disappearing again. Fine. She wasn't too happy with the world anyway.

She'd deal with it later. When things…concluded.

"So," Pema settled into the chair Korra usually occupied. It was then that she noticed the box in her arms on which the tray of food had been balanced. "The academy just sent us his locker contents."

Korra paused, the glow of the water in her hands flickering as her concentration waned. "Why?"

Pema shrugged. "I assume Chief Bei Fong thought there may be something he wanted or needed in there. I'm sure it's no big deal. Besides," she shook the box in her hands, invoking a strange, rattle-like noise "doesn't seem like there's much in here. Anyway, sleep well Korra."

For a full two minutes, as she completed her work on the bruise, Korra was able to convince herself that she was entirely respectful of privacy. That perhaps whatever was in his locker had been kept there because it was personal and he didn't want nosey airbenders, or Lotus guards or (not to mention) girlfriends prying.

However, as she returned the water to its basin, her eyes caught a glimpse of the brass rectangle Asami had left; still a mystery after all this time.

Not a second later, she had torn the lid off the box, her heart unable to handle the possibility of yet another secret. There were beginning to be more than she could keep track of.

Her breath caught in her throat when the contents were revealed. Of course, it contained nothing that the typical nineteen-year-old male would want to keep secret. There were no magazines or cigarettes or even any spare coins as she had expected from the rattling noise.

Korra's watery gaze wandered over to Mako; to the possibly permanently broken man who had nothing and yet gave everything. Her knees gave out beneath her. She cradled the collection of blue stones tightly to her chest, as if they were the only things anchoring her to earth.

It wasn't fair.

* * *

On the twelfth night, after some research and threats and close-call breakdowns, Korra found Bolin.

"How did you get in here?" he mumbled in greeting after she announced herself via accidentally putting a foot through the floorboards.

As she straightened up, Korra clenched the cool, brass rectangle in her palm. A key as it turns out.

"I was invited."

"Hmph." The earthbender returned to his task of sawing. "You're wasting your time. I'm not going back."

"Fine. I won't force you." She took a daring step closer, her eyes feasting upon the space as if it were a regal museum and not a condemned townhouse. Her hand reached out to embrace one of the columns, newly stripped of its peeling brown paint so that the intricate carving stood out as if from fresh, virgin wood. "I didn't know you could do this."

Bolin shrugged. "We-" he interrupted himself with a head shake, as if hoping to physically expel any memory which included his brother. "_I_ used to apprentice for a contractor for some extra cash. Before Pro-Bending."

"Hmm. You don't say?" Another careful step and she was officially in the same room as him. The kitchen she assumed, seeing as he worked against a backdrop of two-thirds rotting, putrid green cabinets and one-third cherry-stained, gleaming new ones. "Well, you're very good."

"Thanks." His tone was not only sarcastic, but also irate. Furious even. As if it were taking all of his willpower not to summon a tremor that would rattle this place to bits, regardless of all the work he had obviously put into it. It was a very disturbing shade for her usually impervious friends to wear.

A step closer and she was able to fully inspect him. It was fairly obvious that he probably hadn't showered since the night of the Dragon Flats battle and had probably only slept or eaten the minimum required to stay alive. The tank top he wore was sweat soaked and stained, his wavy hair slicked back with grease and his eyes, those bright green eyes that had once contained nothing but laughter, were now dull and lifeless.

He didn't have to say it out loud.

First their parents and now Mako; the last of his eternally dwindling family. If they hadn't met her and if Mako hadn't felt the pressure of having to live up to such lofty expectations, maybe things would have been different. Hell, things _definitely _would have been different.

Sure they'd be working odd jobs, living in a grungy apartment in the slums, snatching food wherever they could and the odd drink from a pretty girl. Yes, they'd be bored. Yes, they'd be struggling. But they'd be safe. They'd be together. Mako would be _here_ and Bolin wouldn't have to be alone, abandoned for the second and final time.

It was enough to drive any man, stronger men, to the brink of despair.

"Bolin." Korra didn't even try to conceal the tremor in her voice as she reached forward. Her hand hovered near his and then quickly pulled back, thinking better of it. "I…I'm sorry."

With a sigh, he threw down his saw, resigning himself to the fact that this showdown was inevitable.

Those glossy, emerald eyes of his finally rose to meet her ocean blues.

Slowly, she lowered her hands, arms wide and palms to the ceiling, practically begging him to take a shot. Anything to make him feel better. It was the least she could do.

Several tense second passed before he released his breath, signaling the end of the emotional tirade. Regardless of his current state, Bolin was still Bolin. He could never hurt her. He could hate the situation, life, luck (or lack there of), etc. But not her.

Never Korra.

"When he wakes up," the young bender sputtered, giving no mind to the tears spilling from his eyes. "And I say _when_ not _if. WHEN_ he wakes up, tell him he owes me. You _both _owe me."

Unable to do much else, pinned to the spot by the burden of his sentiments, Korra nodded "Yes. Anything."

"A night a Narook's. All you can eat! And no griping about the bill or I swear to Agni, I'll-"

He was interrupted by a solid body smashing into him, knocking the breath from his lungs.

With no hesitation, he returned the embrace fully and whole-heartedly, practically lifting the taller girl off of her feet.

It felt good to feel again.

When Mako wakes up, everything will be right again.

_When_.

* * *

The optimism Bolin fueled her with had withered by the time day eighteen rolled around. It was on that day that Master Katara announced she was returning to the South Pole.

"But you can't go!" Korra argued from the opposite side of Mako's bed as they wrapped up their healing session. "He's not better yet. You came here to make him better!"

"I came here at the request of my son and the Council of Nations to provide emergency medical assistance. The city is settled once again and my students need me back home."

"_I_ need you here! I'm the Avatar! I'm more important."

Katara didn't even bother with an answer, knowing very well that nothing she said would make a difference. Instead, she turned to her patient and smiled. With the last of the bandages gone after all his cuts and scrapes and bruises had been healed, she was finally able to see the man who had captured the Avatar's heart.

"He's quite handsome," the older woman commented with a knowing grin, always one to appreciate a strong jaw-line, thick head of hair and well-toned figure. Conscious or not, a patient's body alone spoke volumes to those willing to listen. Her many hours spent with Mako had revealed his difficult childhood via old scars as well as his present dedication and desperation in training to make something of himself. Such familiarity helped her connect with him; helped draw a few, jittery sparks of life from his mind. Not enough though. Not nearly enough.

"As a firebender," she continued, not wanting to leave on such a sour note "I assume he has the classic golden eyes?"

Resigning herself to the inevitable, Korra fell back into her chair and pouted. However, she could not resist a response. "Sorta. They're darker. Closer to amber. His mother was Earth Nation."

"Ahh. That explains the endurance. And his bravery." She gave his pale hand a gentle pat. "You're a lucky girl."

Korra could not help but scoff. Luck had not reared its head into her life for several weeks now. Taking a hint from the Master, she said nothing, silently acknowledging that she had no influence on this decision.

"Please know," Katara whispered as she gathered her supplies. "I've done everything I can. It's in the spirits' hands now."

With extreme effort, Korra forced her anger to disperse with a deep breath. Of all the people she could have placed blame upon for this deplorable situation, Katara was the least deserving. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm grateful that you stayed as long as you did. I just- I feel so-"

"Helpless. I know. I felt the same when Aang had been injured and I could do nothing but sit by him and wait. It was torture. I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy."

"Aang woke up though. You healed him and he woke up. It should work again, shouldn't it? You're even stronger now, aren't you?"

Again, the older woman chose not to answer, allowing the Avatar to come to the obvious conclusions by herself. Neither wanted to admit aloud how large a factor pure chance was in these cases.

"Make sure the dressings continue to get changed daily," Katara instructed as she placed the final cloth into her rucksack and began tying it closed. "And don't forget the exercises to avoid muscle atrophy. Dr. Ludsen told me that final cast should be coming off next week. Keep him warm. Keep him hydrated. Keep talking to him, reading, playing music etc. It's all you can do."

"All I can do," she repeated dubiously. It seemed so very ridiculous that she, one of the most powerful beings on the planet, could only offer the basic abilities of a nurse. "Sure. Anything else?"

"Yes." Katara slung the pack over her shoulder, bending a little as the weight of it hit her back. She met eyes with her husband's reincarnation and tried to summon some remnant of his determination, of his refusal to give up even in the darkest hour. Alas, all she saw there was exhaustion and defeat.

So she reached forward and grasped the girl's hand, squeezing as tightly as her arthritis allowed. "You can't lose hope Korra," she said with startling urgency. "You're the only thing keeping him tethered to this world. The second you give up, all is lost. Whatever meager little speck of it brought you here today and every other day before, keep nurturing it. Keep it alive. Okay? You have to keep believing. You have to!"

Shocked by the woman's passion, the frail fingers gripping her to nearly a painful degree, Korra nodded her indubitable assent.

"I promise."

* * *

Korra broke on day twenty.

After Tenzin walked in to find her fiddling with the contents of Mako's locker, the collection of polished blue stones in various states carving, the airbending Master had finally deemed it safe to discuss the reasons behind their dispute all those weeks ago.

"Mako knew you were unhappy with the situation here on the Island," he said quietly as he poured tea for the two of them. "Well, we all knew, but I suppose he felt the most pressing need to do something about it. A few weeks ago, he purchased a…I'm not even sure if I can legally call it a house, it is in such shambles. But he bought the structure anyway."

Korra nodded, instinctively pressing her hand against the pant pocket that held the key. "I know about that."

"Ah. Then I suppose you know about the loan too?"

At this, her eyebrows shot up in surprise. Tenzin continued with a disgruntled groan.

"That boy was in over his head. The only dealer in town who would lend him the mortgage had an extremely wooly practice. Long story short; Mako was set up to lose not only the house and his down payment but quite possibly a limb and maybe the limbs of his brother if he didn't start making payments at an earlier date than previously agreed upon. He began working odd jobs at Future Industries between classes in exchange for some spare yuans as well as gleaning some engineering advice to make the place habitable. He planned to move in as soon as he finished his training and I believe his intention was for you to go with him."

Again Korra nodded, though it was becoming increasing difficult not to reach up and tear out her hair. What in the Spirits' names had he been thinking?

"I can admit that…I was probably one of the worst sources of his stress. When I found out, I was furious. I made it clear that I would do everything in my power to ensure you remained under Air Temple guardianship." Tenzin began twiddling his thumbs, obviously shamed by this confession. "He just wanted, so desperately, to make you happy. I-I see that now. On that night, he was informing me of his intention to marry you. As soon as you turned eighteen, if you'd have him. He thought that would placate any misgiving from me, your parents and the media. After that, we would have no say in how you lived your lives. I reacted...poorly."

"…I see." Korra's somehow managed to keep her voice steady even though she was reeling from the information.

Though the stones had been evidence enough, to have it confirmed by her Master made the proposal so much more _authentic_ than previously considered. And this mysterious money lender, what was his current role? Did Bolin know? She had quite a bit of savings from her Council-chair allowance. Why didn't he ask for help?

In three months' time, Mako had miraculously expected to not only have a steady job, but a house and the Avatar as a wife. All at under twenty years old and without a speck of help. It was ludicruous really. Completely insane. They were so young. Too young.

And yet...

It was the vision that did it.

She saw the living room with red curtains. A kitchen that always smelled of spices. A quiet couple, together and calm at last, leaning against one another on a stained, spotted couch that was a good half-century passed fashionable. She could practically feel those strong arms of his encasing her, keeping her warm and safe, every night for the rest of their lives. Arms that had been cold and lifeless for nearly a month, practically rotting away already.

They had been so close…so very, _very_ close.

She found herself struggling to breathe.

On the twentieth day, with little to no warning, Korra broke.

* * *

Someone had once told her that only at our lowest point are we open to the greatest change.

If there was a lower point than this, Korra didn't know where it could exist.

They had removed her, forcefully, from the Island that day. She didn't put up a fight really. Her fantasy world had simply become so much more appealing a place as opposed to grisly reality that she decided to escape there for a while. They had had to carry her out to the docks and to the hospital even though her eyes were wide open, fully conscious yet unresponsive.

She met with him in the Spirit World.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked as they sunk further into the pillows of their wall-less bedroom. They were surrounded by murky swamp field and interrupted only by the occasional, curious soul that she had to wave off into a vapor.

Mako laughed and tried to bury his face into her neck. She felt nothing but a cool breeze as they were still too many dimensions apart for touch to take purchase. It wasn't enough, but it was better than nothing.

"It's not the right time. So I've been told," he stated with both amusement and frustration. "You never were very patient."

"Everyone's patience has its limits." A monkey-crow screamed in this distance and Korra shot a glare in its general direction for daring to interrupt their ethereal reunion. "And it's been long enough. Everyone is waiting."

"You mean _you _are waiting."

"Yes, _I _am waiting. But so are Bolin and Asami and Tenzin and Pema and Jinora and Ikki and Meelo and-"

"I get it," Mako interrupted with another, light chuckle. "The length of the list doesn't change anything. I'll wake up when I need to wake up."

"_If _you wake up."

"If I wake up…"

They let the idea marinate as they stared into one another's translucent eyes. He then moved in to kiss her, unable to help himself, but it felt cold and empty. Still, her heart sped up at the mere memory of how his kisses used to inflame her. It was enough so that the ghost touch of his fingers trailing along her arms left goosebumps in their wake and the surrounding water began to boil.

"Damn," Korra hissed as burning steam licked at her toes. "Always when it starts getting good."

"It's their non-subtle way of reminding you that you don't belong here," explained Mako with a grin as they climbed closer to the headboard. "You should go back."

"Ha! Not without you, City Boy. I'm staying."

"You're creating an imbalance. Can't you tell?"

The steam exploded into a shower of bat-rats and their bed, their haven, fell sideways as they rolled to avoid the onslaught of teeth, claws and wings.

When she opened her eyes again, they were in a version of her parents' igloo. But everything had inverted colors and textures. The bright, blue rug she had spent many nights curled into felt jagged like bark beneath her palms. In front of her, her father's hand-carved dining table was a jarring shade of violet, glistening and unstable as though made of blubber.

The Spirits sure did know how to throw a welcome party.

"An imbalance, huh?" Korra repeated as sections of the walls and floor started to flicker in and out of existence like a dying light bulb. "And what makes you such an expert?"

"Well, I have been here for a month." She stood to find him perched on a marble stool; the one piece of furniture that had retained its natural characteristics in this bizarro dimension. "You learn things after a while. Like when someone obviously doesn't belong."

"I may not belong here, but neither do you. If I leave, we leave."

"Kor-"

A unexpected light shone in her eyes, temporarily blinding and deafening her from the entire scene. She quickly shook it away. In a perfect impression of a headstrong toddler, Korra crossed her arms over her chest and plopped herself back onto the ground, silently announcing to all worlds that she was staying put.

In retaliation, she had to watch her childhood home melt.

"They're calling for you." Mako said, now kneeling in front of her, the one spot of color in a universe of grey. "You should listen. You have to go back."

"Not without you!"

"I'm not even me. I'm you. I'm made of your memories. He isn't here. This isn't real."

"You're lying."

"You're stronger than this."

Another explosion of light. She fought it off again, though with slightly less gusto this time.

"No I'm not! I'm so _sick_ of everyone saying that. My strength couldn't save you! It's useless!"

"Korra...please. Please come back to me." His voice sounded different. Less confident spirit and more humanely desperate. More real.

Her vision flickered again, allowing her a glimpse of a new setting. The dazzling ghost temporarily became a similarly beautiful but damaged, young man.

"Mako?"

"You don't belong here," he repeated followed by another flash, this one more soothing than harsh. "You've been broken long enough."

Korra didn't feel the need to fight this time. Something else, something stronger, was calling to her.

It was on the twenty-third day since the Dragon Flats battle that Korra woke up.

She woke up to Mako.

He was lying beside her in one of the Air Temple's larger cots. His palm, his deliciously warm and real palm, was resting on her cheek. His eyes were shimmering pools of amber. They were the most beautiful sight she ever had the pleasure of seeing.

"Am I dreaming?" Having spent a respectable amount of time in the Spirit world, she'd like to think she could tell the difference by now. But she couldn't put it past the cruel fates to delve up some new, ehanced fantasy just to see her suffer.

Mako half laughed, half breathed. "I don't know. Maybe I'm the one that's dreaming?"

Unable to stew with uncertainty any longer, Korra's fingers shot out and pinched the first thing they came into contact with; his arm fortunately.

"Ow!" Mako yelped before wincing. "What the he-"

She didn't let him finish, throwing herself into his arms onto his lips the instant he proved to be corporeal.

He was awake. He was alive and awake! It was almost too good to be true, too relieved to be ashamed at how she had nearly given up.

Mutual tears mixed on their cheeks, shuddering breaths and smacking lips and crinkling sheets being the only sounds for long minutes as they became requainted with one another's warm, animated bodies.

"You're an idiot," she managed to sputter only to pull herself into him again, swearing to never let go.

"And you're the Avatar," he eventually replied, pressing a smirk into the corner of her mouth.

Their reunion was messy and uncomfortable. Her head throbbed as if it had been sat upon by a rhino-phant and his weakened muscle screamed in agony with every shifting movement and they both couldn't stop crying for Spirit's sake.

Nevertheless, neither one would have traded that moment for the world.

Patience paid off.

Huh…who'd have thought?

* * *

**Author's Note:** Happy Holidays to my lovely readers! Soooo…obviously, this is gonna be 5 chapters now. Last one: SPIRITS coming soon. Reason it took me so long to update is because there are actually 4 more scenes to this of Mako and Korra dealing with repercussions and figuring out compromises, but it became too ridiculously long. So into next chapter they go (making it half written already, yay!).

Thank you again for any reviews you deem I am deserving of. They honestly make my day.

- Mayonaka


	5. Spirits - Harmony

_"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony."_

**- Thomas Merton**

-. **Equilibrium** .-

Chapter V | **SPIRITS** | Harmony

Korra awoke in the same bed on Air Temple Island that she had been occupying, most nights, for nearly a year. The same sunlight was filtering through the same paper shutters, tracing the same patterns on the same white sheets.

Everything was as familiar and as comfortable as ever. But somehow, even without being fully conscious yet, she knew that today…today would be _different_.

"KORRA!"

For one thing, the method by which she was roused was definitely not the norm. A blast of wind threw the door wide open and whipped the bedding from her fingers, heralding the arrival of three airbenders as they scooted into her room.

"Korra, Korra, Korra! Wake up. Wake up. WAKE UP!" Meelo had launched himself onto her stomach before her eyes had time to adjust to the light, invoking a grunt of discomfort. Jinora and Ikki, respectful girls though no less subtle, were bouncing on their toes at the edge of her bed, tiny fingers gripping and shaking the futon.

"Today's the day, Korra!" the eldest reminder her in a tone ripe with enthusiasm. "How can you still be sleeping?"

"Yeah, yeah. Today's the day!" repeated her younger sister, apparently too elated to come up with her own wording.

After tossing the toddler up and away with an air blast of her own, which of course had him giggling madly as he floated to the floor, Korra made to sit up. "Geez guys," she mumbled through a yawn. "What is up with you three? You'd think something special was happening today, huh?"

Jinora and Ikki giggled at her false modesty while Meelo rolled his eyes from the corner he had landed in.

"You're not funny!" he chastised with such extreme disapproval that Korra could not help but join his sisters' laughter. Soon enough, with no prompting necessary, he too broke down and all four of them were bent over with chuckles. That is until Pema arrived.

"Jinora! Ikki! Meelo!" The Air Temple mistress had that look on her face that was rarely seen outside of these halls, brows knitted and eyes wide with fury. One would think she was trying to impersonate a mother saber-tooth moose-lion after someone toyed with her babies. "I TOLD you not to disturb Korra! She needs every minute of rest she can get! How can you be so-"

"It's okay Pema," Korra interrupted, swinging her legs over the side of the cot and trying her best to appear energetic. "I was up anyway."

"Oh. Okay then." Immediately her shoulders softened, though her eyes still retained some doubt. "Well they should at least let you prepare in privacy. Off you all go to breakfast."

"But-"

"Now!" A sweep of a pointed finger toward the hallway and the young trio were off, not needing to be told twice. However, just for rebellion's sake, they did all summon air scooters once behind their mother's back. There, they gave the Avatar some peppy waves of goodbye before blasting down the hallway. Pema shook her head, completely aware of their rule breaking but too tired to do anything about it. Today there were much bigger things to worry about.

"So. Korra. How are you feeling?" She strode forward and placed herself on the cot beside her ward, taking a moment to smooth out the creases from her formal robes. "Nervous at all?"

"Hmmm…a little, I guess." It was an easy thing to admit. One would have to born without nerves to _not _feel nervous on such an occasion. "But I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" She placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. Though surely it was meant to be a supportive gesture, Korra's found herself struggling to suppress a groan. She had been asked that question too many times over the past few weeks and it had long since become exasperating.

"Yes, I'm sure. I've always been sure."

"Because," Pema took a moment to scan the room for prying eyes and/or ears before continuing. "It's not too late to back out, you know? Say the word and I'll have a boat ready for you by the cave exit quicker than Meelo ruins a brand new set of robes." She snapped her fingers to accentuate the speed of such an event which caused Korra to burst into chuckles once again. Despite the trials of the past three months, she found herself laughing more and more as the days passed. It was…liberating.

"Thanks for the offer but not only is it indeed too late, I need to go through with this. And I _want_ to go through with it!" she amended quickly just as Pema opened her mouth to protest. "I really want to. I'm ready. I admit that I'm not thrilled about the addition of the cameras, the Council and all that stuff, but I'm going to have to get used to all those eyes on me sooner or later. Now is as good a time as any, right?"

She could see the cogs turning in Pema's head, digesting the information and debating whether to take it to heart. Korra held her gaze, unwavering, silently ensuring that every word she spoke was the truth. Eventually, the woman's brow smoothed out and her lips curved up into that trademark smile.

"Right. In that case, I have something for you." She jumped to her feet and ran back to the hallway, yanking what looked like a large, empty potato sack from the laundry hook outside her door and presenting it with a flourish.

It was Korra's turn to look worried and uncertain as she eyed the bag much like one would a meal with a questionable scent.

"What?" Piqued by the girl's obvious confusion, Pema returned her eyes to the offering in her hands. "Oh! Silly me. I forgot to unwrap them!" She worked on the knots at the top while Korra continued to stare.

"And what, pray tell, are 'they'?"

"Your new robes of course." Her grin now held a twinge of both pity and amusement. "They're a gift from the Steward of the Eastern Air Temple. Surely you haven't forgotten the huge publicity battle over who would get the honor of dressing you today?"

Right. The 'battle of the belts' the media had dubbed it. Korra had indeed forgotten. She had worked very hard to do so.

"And you're only showing me now because...?"

Pema shrugged. "I may have assumed that you'd change your mind and wanted to spare you the…shock."

"Shock?"

The last of the knots came free and Korra's jaw fell open. She had yet to meet the acolytes who guarded the Eastern Air Temple, but from the look of this garment they all either had failing eyesight or simply didn't like her very much. Most likely the latter.

It only made her more determined to go through with this with both grace and dignity; as impossible as those two concepts may seem once donning such a clown suit.

With a deep breath, the first of many sure was sure to take today, Korra leapt to her feet, determination etched into her features.

"Let's do this!"

* * *

"I can't do this."

Not even an hour later, staring into the mirror of her dressing tent with wide, unblinking eyes, Korra was beginning to panic. And the ridiculousness of how she looked was a nearly negligible percentage of the reason.

All around her she could hear the pressing murmur of a hundred voices gathering on the plaza, a notable chunk being press members from around the world all here to capture her big day -this day. The most important day of her life so far- for the entire, global populace to witness. Back when she had planned this, after having successfully and easily completed the last of the advanced airbending trials, it had seemed like a brilliant idea. Like killing ten thousand birds with one stone.

But now, in this moment, as everyone had been telling her all along, it seemed to be quite obviously _insane._

"Oh! Oh no. Oh geez." It was Bolin who had the misfortune of being at her side during this realization, even though everyone else who had stopped in to say hello and wish her luck had perceived only the calm, collected, peaceful Avatar that she intended to showcase. He was dressed in a pristine black suit with emerald fastenings which highlighted his eyes, most likely provided by the generous and fashionable Asami. His black hair was slicked back without one strand out of place and gold cufflinks glittered on his wrists. When he had entered a few minutes ago, they had cracked jokes about how he looked more feminine than she did. They had laughed together as they so often did. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Korra. Kooorraaaaaaa…Look at me Korra." Two large hands appear on her reflection's biceps and then she was abruptly spun around to face equally wide and terrified eyes. "You know I love you. Like a sister of course! And you know if you say the word, I'll shout fire and we'll be riding the next waterbending bubble off this rock with no one being the wiser. But…BUT…"

Distracted, he looked down at the handfuls of fabric he held in each hand. It may not be _just_ the robes that were causing Korra to breakdown after so many weeks of being balanced, but it for sure wasn't helping. The gold cape and wide, loose sleeves may have looked regal on the wizened Stewart who waited outside wearing practically the exact same outfit, but on her it appeared gaudy. And suffocating. And difficult to move in. And so very, very _old_. All things that contrasted deeply with the lively spirit of Korra. Without thinking much about it, the earthbender tightened his fingers began to rip.

"Bolin!" she screeched in shock as she felt the blissfully cool air hit her bare arms. "What-what are you-"

"Just a little adjustment!" he said with a mischievous grin as he bunched up the fabric and casually tossed it over his shoulder. "Before you decide to officially freak out, I thought you should maybe try something a little different. You're not gonna impress anyone by being something you so obviously are not."

As the Avatar's lips flapped opened and closed soundlessly, struggling for words, Bolin was already working on the cape, neatly releasing it from the jeweled broach at her throat. Instantly, as the glittering fabric flowed off her shoulders, she felt as if a hundred pound weight had been lifted. She moaned a little inappropriately at the delicious relief.

He was right of course. Not only about the clothing, but regarding this whole pageant. If the point was to get people to see her, they had to see _her_ and not some mannequin following a mechanical script aimed to impress a faceless crowd. She'd honor the Eastern Temple's generosity by wearing their colors, but that was where she'd draw the line.

"Yip yip!" Bolin was tapping at her ankles, having retrieved her boots from storage beneath a bench. Gleefully, she kicked off the pinching, embroidered slippers and shimmied back into the familiar suede that her friend held steady for her. It felt like coming home.

"Better?" he asked once back on his feet and brushing the dust from his pants. "I gotta say; you look better at least."

"Definitely," Korra agreed, flexing her newly exposed arms that she had unknowingly held stiff since donning the garment. Still, despite the release she was feeling thanks to Bolin's intervention, she was nervous. Tense actually. It had a been a while since she felt this way, her fingers itching with sparks that only one thing was proven to satiate.

"Where's Mako?" She tried to say it offhandedly, as if it were an afterthought, but something in her voice had the brother cocking a knowing eyebrow.

"Should be here any minute. Why?"

"_Why_?" her lip curled outward in a pout. "It's not like this isn't an important day or anything. Figures he'd wait until the last minute to show up."

"Don't get your toga in a twist. He spent last night at the house to work on a few things because YOU told him he shouldn't hang around this morning. You said it was bad luck or whatever."

At the reminder, her expression softened a little. She had made the request back when she considered him a distraction; an unwelcome trigger to her bending. So much had changed in the weeks since then. So much had been revealed_. _She now knew that his role had an entirely different and surprisingly pleasant purpose.

Today, she needed that. She needed it now.

"Korra?"

Speak of the viper-devil.

As if he had heard the plea hours before she had thought it herself, Mako's voice was at the door of her tent at the perfect moment. Bolin laughed while shaking his head, amused as he always was by their strange ability to communicate between both time and space.

"I'll leave you two alone," he said with a smirk before pulling her into a one-armed hug. "Oh! And happy birthday my dear Avatar."

Korra smiled into his shoulder. "Thanks, my dear fire-ferret."

"After this is all wrapped up, we're celebrating. Don't you forget!"

"I couldn't if I tried." This was true on a very disconcerting level. Asami had been calling her thrice daily for the past week, harassing her for input on what was sure to become Republic City's reception of the century. Assuming she got through this next step.

"Good luck." With a final squeeze of her hand, Bolin took his leave, holding the curtain open for his brother to take his place.

As a fresh gust of air filled the room and her lungs with the sweet-scented heat of summer, so did Mako. He approached cautiously, respectfully, amber eyes locked to her in a way that made Korra's pulse race and her body grow warm.

He looked good.

Well he always looked good, but today he was wearing his officer's dress uniform, the cap fit snuggly under his arm and the ties of his red sash swaying with his hips. She had only seen him in it once, at his graduation ceremony the previous week. Even in a group of thirty or so other young men and women receiving their accreditation that day, Mako had stood out. Not only because he alone was presented with a triple-star medal of honor in addition to the standard initiation pin (for displaying selfless bravery during the Dragon Flats battle) and not only because he was the only firebender (the red seams of his suit standing out from the crowd like a signal flare) but because he _glowed_. Perhaps not literally in anyone's eyes except her biased ones, but all could agree that there was something special about him that day.

For a man who had been beaten down more times than he could count, to rise up to such a level once thought impossible was more than a wish come true. It was a miracle. Especially considering his recent brush with death. And as his finger (fingers that still didn't work perfectly after being detached by some ricochet bullets) closed around the shiny piece of metal (the same pin she now wore proudly on her collar), his relief, his sudden serenity, became palpable. It radiated from him, easing tense shoulders and twisted stomachs throughout the entire crowd.

He had done it.

Against all odds, he had made it. Through weeks of remedial classes, makeup test and physiotherapy, everything had come together. And all he had had to do was let people help him for once, sacrificing a smidgen of his pride to result in this grand moment where he felt simultaneously humbled and more powerful than ever.

Even Lin, the famously apathetic Chief, couldn't help but be moved. After affixing the metal to his chest, she seemed to have temporarily forgotten protocol and had dared to pat the young man on the back. It was the closest thing to a hug she had ever doled out in public and it inspired a barrage of camera flashes in addition to some disturbing tabloid rumors.

That night they had hosted a small celebration in the one room of their "project" (they couldn't legitimately call it a home yet) that wasn't at risk of collapsing. And later that night, after she had none-too subtly followed him to his dorm room on the Island, that uniform which had teased her for hours was finally beneath her eager hands. That night he had proved to her that the injured fingers were not only healed but still plenty dexterous.

"Good morning my lady Avatar." Mako interrupted her reminiscence by giving a formal salute, though she doubted that the cocky grin was standard. "How may I be of service?"

Korra's blush deepened despite herself, so she quickly shook her head in an attempt to clear it. "I…I-uh." _I need you_. Again, she shook her head, trying to dredge up some coherent and appropriate sentences. The pause in conversation brought to her ears the murmur from the plaza once again. The voices, hundreds of them, taking their seats and setting up their devices, all secretly hoping to witness the history-making event of her failure. She winced, trying to block it out again, but it was becoming too difficult. Her nerves, her fears, were winning the battle over her ability to reason. "I just…I wanted-"

"Hey." His hands were suddenly on her neck, tilting her chin up and forcing her wide, blue eyes to meet his. As always, they acted like a diluted version of his element; melting all her sharp, emotional peaks into a warm pool of nothingness, until her blood neared boiling and turned her bones to jelly. It was one of the few instance where Korra easily and happily surrendered.

He smirked then, a little too smugly for her liking. As if he knew exactly what he was doing to her. Pure stubbornness almost forced her to ruin the moment just to prove that she could, but then he said the most perfect words imaginable.

"Let's get out of here."

It was exactly what she needed to hear.

* * *

Unlike Pema and Bolin, he wasn't offering an escape from the entire ordeal. Though she knew he wouldn't hesitate to help in such as case. Not if she really wanted to. Instead, hand in hand and giggling like school children, they had burrowed under the back wall of her tent before making a mad dash for the tree line; toward that same wooded area near the bison caves where they knew, from experience, no one would find them.

"How long until it starts?" Mako asked as they settled on the grass, making a pillow out of her thigh.

Korra shrugged, reaching her arms above her head in a long overdue stretch . "About an hour I guess. They're gonna start with the tribute to Avatar Aang."

At this, Mako's eyebrows knitted together as he examined the elaborate, swirling patterns embroidered in gold onto her pants. "Why?"

"Well…because it's the eighteenth anniversary of his death. Obviously."

"I know, but-" Mako turned his head to meet her eyes, squinting when a stray ray of sunlight escaped the cover of thick foliage as it swayed in the wind. "I thought this day was about you."

"It is. And it isn't."

"…I don't understand."

Korra took a deep breath. Not to calm down this time, but to call upon the inspiration of the air. She let it fill her empty spaces (stomach, lungs, heart, soul) and invigorate her cells with the buzz of undiluted oxygen. It helped her communicate, if only in the most minute ways, with her past lives.

"I am Aang. And Aang is Korra. We are each other and we are Roku and Kyoshi and all the thousand Avatars that came before us. We have been born and have died thousands of times. I get that now. It's how I know I can get through today. Because I've done it a thousand times before. Does that make any sense to you?"

"So you're not worried at all?"

"Oh I'm terrified. And excited. And stressed. And tranquil. I'm a little bit of everything right now."

Mako laughed and shimmied his head more comfortably into her lap. "One thousand emotions for one thousand lives, huh?"

"Exactly. So next time you accuse me of being crazy, now you know why."

They shared a chuckle at that. "I just don't want you to undersell yourself. You've worked hard for this. No past lives made you do that. It's all you."

"Yeah well, let me linger with this idea for a while longer please. Seeing as I may very well fall on my face in front of the world, having nine-hundred and ninety-nine others to blame it on is quite the safety net."

"You'll do fine."

"You don't know that…"

Something in her voice caused him to go rigid, picking up on the audibly subtle but mentally blaring vibrations of her insecurity. He knew from experience that there wasn't really anything he could say to make her feel better. It had been the same when his final exams had been approaching and she could do nothing more than linger around the house patching walls, forcing the odd meal upon him while he hunched over a pile textbooks. Words had never really been their preferred method of communication, though they were often necessary. Especially after they awoke from their injuries.

It had taken her a whole week to bring up the stones; the collection of polished blue marble that he had been struggling to learn how to carve in the rare quiet moments of his then impossible schedule. After she had set the crooked money lender straight in the only language he spoke (which is to say, not an entirely legal one) regarding the townhouse Mako had bought and after her name had been affixed to the deed, the subject of their potential marriage could be avoided no longer.

It would make a lot of people happy, they reasoned. It would lower a bunch of eyebrows that had been raised after purchasing property together. It would give them independence from the White Lotus' claim on her schedule. It would be simply pushing forward what they both knew was bound to happen eventually anyway. After a solid hour of debating, the pros list had greatly overwhelmed the cons. It almost seemed stupid _not _to.

And yet…

Without a word, as had become their custom, they let both the list and the subject dissolve into a burst of flames before moving on to their respective projects around the house. The stones were packed away in a box containing other such trinket mementos like Bolin's lucky rabbit-lizard foot and a mystery brass whistle. Besides, he had since been informed that a traditional, Water Tribe betrothal necklace wasn't really her style. It would be too irritating to fight with. The city's standard was a ring nowadays. He promised himself that when the right time came, when they mutually wanted to do this more for themselves than anyone else, he would make her one designed to add extra bite to her punches.

Someday.

"I finished the piping last night," Mako announced, hoping to distract her. "We now officially have running water. On the first floor. In the kitchen only. Cold water that is."

"Really?" she sat up, hands behind her back for support as she stared down at the face in her lap. "That's fantastic! Will definitely make my landscaping job easier."

"Yeah. At this rate we can move in about, I dunno, five, maybe six years?"

Korra rolled her eyes, smirking as she brushed some errant hair behind his ear. He was exaggerating of course, but it still would be a significant length of time before their place became habitable.

There was no rush. For now, since Tenzin had agreed to turn a blind eye once in a while to their late night rendezvous, privacy and time together wasn't as scarce a commodity as it used to be. The airbending master had also agreed that, fiscally, the townhouse had been a sensible purchase. A bargain thanks to its decrepit state, the place was well located and had a solid frame and foundations at the very least. Young though they were, their scraps of savings were already flourishing into a base upon which they could build a more than comfortable life. Even Bolin's lofty aspirations seemed to be coming true as he had been accepted, full scholarship, into one of Republic City's most prestigious high schools. Asami's Sato-planes were also now in mass production after the army had made a substantial order, bringing Future Industries back onto the top of the corporate food chain.

The future, for all of them, was looking brighter than ever. No matter what happened today.

Mako tried to tell her this in a look, reaching up to cup her cheek, relishing how she leaned into it and closed her eyes. Her hand rose to cover his and her grip tightened, needing his reassurance, his support, his love, all of him with her, encompassing her. She felt the soothing pull of his simple nearness pick away at her anxiety until it all but evaporated. It was only temporary though. Not for the first time, she wished they could latch themselves together and somehow take the test as one entity. It may be awkward, but at least she would fail due to reasons less humiliating than mere fright.

"You'll do fine," he whispered again, not needing to hear her thoughts to know she was troubled. "Just…relax."

She would have laughed if allowed the opportunity. Instead the hand on her cheek snaked around her neck and she found herself being pulled down onto impatient lips. As always, he surmised exactly what she needed before she knew herself. He kissed much like how he bended; cool under fire. All tightly tamed heat spreading from his lip, his hands, his everywhere, bringing her to a melting point in a slow and steady simmer. Every movement, brush of his tongue or nip of his teeth, was calculatingly perfect in execution, convincing her with embarrassing ease that she would simply die if he ever stopped touching her.

Mouths cemented together, they rearranged themselves so that he could sit up before she yanked his collar forward and they toppled backward into the grass. Without thinking twice, her fingers began travelling down his chest, leaving freed brass buttons in their wake. His uniform jacket was gone in a blink, devoured by the scenery, followed soon after by his undershirt, then her boots, then his own. The fastenings of her robes were loosened enough so that the fabric had slipped from her shoulders, revealing a treasure trove of umber skin itching for exploration around her collar bone and upper chest.

Clouded senses were rapidly leading them toward a state of abandon, where today was just any other day and they were in any normal, private space going about usual things. And though being with him like this had become relatively common in recent history, something about today, about _now_, felt…different. More intense. Significant. Like she was exactly where she was meant to be and this was exactly what they needed to be doing.

Though most people probably thought differently and she didn't care enough to correct them, Mako and Korra had actually remained relatively respectful of the dormitory rules over the past few months. Not for lack of trying. As desperately as their hormones were often known to scream, something about the chanting acolytes or Bolin's snores or just the glow of the temple lights through the window always managed to stop them before they crossed that final line. Of course Mako's conscience often got in the way as well, insisting that they do this properly. Maybe in their house once the bedroom was finished, surrounded by candles and rose petals after a night out of dinner and dancing. He wanted her to feel the most loved she had ever felt the first time they made love. He wanted it to be perfect.

Korra's eyes drifted open as Mako lips coasted along her neck, tracing the veins of her prominently racing pulse. She watched, transfixed as the wind shook the canopy of leaves above them and allowed a few rays of summer sun to invade their sanctuary, delivering additional heat to her already flushed skin. She shifted and was made aware of the earth beneath her back, somehow both solid and soft, unyielding yet pliable and the most comfortable surface she had ever had the pleasure of being pressed into. The waterfall near the mouth of the bison caves roared in her ears, as loudly as if she were submerged in it, amplified to compliment their throaty exhales. And the air…a deep breath and she tasted a new tingle to it. Something sweet and savory. It filled and surrounded them, a deliciously cool breeze making hairs stand on end as if by a ghostly embrace.

This…the sun, the sky, the grass, the wind, him…

It _was _perfect.

More so than she could have ever fathomed.

Though it wasn't something the austere air practitioners often talked about, Korra knew that the joining of male and female was considered a form of prayer by many benders. Some, smaller branches of various tribes were even known celebrate the act as an annual festival, believing that pleasure honored the Spirits and temporarily diluted the bridge between worlds. As the human embodiment of said bridge, and as the half-clothed man she loved lead his mouth further down her chest invoking a rush of heat between her legs and making her see sparks, she was very inclined to agree.

"Mako…"

"Korra…"

He was at her lips again and everything felt heavier. He kissed her in a way that silently acknowledged what was about to happen, his pesky logic having somehow been put to sleep for a spell. Like a man possessed, he began untying her wrappings with practiced ease, not bothering with his usual, whispered requests for permission. He also, to his own surprise, found himself not caring that they were technically in public and that there was a rather intimidating crowd mingling a mere hop, skip and a jump away which included the Council of Nations, the World News, several Royal families, _her parents_, a few notoriously invasive kids and so many others, all waiting for her. He didn't even mourn his plan for doing this in the respectful, romantic way he had been both imagining and preparing for.

In that moment, nothing else mattered.

He loved her and she loved him. Simple. There would be days, months, years in the future for candles, rose petals and rings. They needed to do this. However, after the remainder of their clothing disappeared as effortlessly as leaves in the breeze and they approached the point of no return, logic did manage to rear its ugly head for one final, irksome but imperative reminder.

"Wh-Wait." It took all of Mako's resolve to pull away from her just as her bare legs began wrapping around his hips. He shook with the effort of holding back, his breaths turning to gasps and his fingers clenched so tightly into the grass on either side of her head that he was tearing it out. Korra ignored him initially, lost to the sensation of his proximity and the eager elements. Though they had already spent many nights nearing this point, far enough so that she was well versed in several methods of making him twitch and groan and come completely undone, this time she had barely touched him and vice versa. The anticipation alone was doing it, bringing them so close to the breaking point that they could barely breathe for the pure excitement that precedes a plunge into the unknown. But when the plea finally did register in her brain after noticing his frozen position, Korra had to resist the urge to slap him for interrupting; as if he were a child shouting profanity during a temple service. Unacceptable.

"What? Why? No!" Assuming it was his damn scruples forcing him to reconsider, she tightened her legs' hold around his waist, pulling him forward until they made full contact. They both shuddered and began kissing once again and he automatically shifted to position himself. One thrust of his hips and it would be done. But no-

"Wait!" he yelled more forcefully this time, pulling away once again. Korra groaned in frustration, digging her nails into his shoulder in a weak attempt to relieve the pressure slash establish her extreme disapproval. "I know. I'm sorry. I want this. You have no idea how much I want this," the trembling in his breathless tone gave credence to the statement. "But…I don't have…I didn't think to bring…we just _can't_ without being careful about-"

"It's okay," she interrupted while slapping her palms to each of his cheeks, forcing him to meet her eyes. She would have laughed at his panicked expression if she hadn't been so desperate to move forward. His concern was sweet. Annoying, but sweet. She wasn't an idiot. Weeks ago, ever since they had begun these nightly trysts, she had finally summoned the gall to talk to Asami about the modern sexual education. The night had been, admittedly, a little awkward, but soon enough they were cracking jokes and trading relationship war stories. It had also resulted in an appointment with Future Industry's private physician and a method with which to avoid any undesirable consequences.

She probably should have told him sooner, but it wasn't exactly a subject you could bring up nonchalantly over noodles.

"Trust me. It's safe," she assured with a shaky nod which he then mirrored.

"Oh. Good. That's…good."

"Yes," she agreed, feeling the fire in her veins start to roar again, more wild and uninhibited than ever before. "It's good. Now shut up."

Logic back in its holding cell, Mako leaned forward to reestablish their kiss, releasing the grass to grasp her loose hair instead. The interruption had been necessary for safety's sake, but it had also allowed him a much needed break in order to slow down, pay her proper attention and remember to savor the moment.

There was something surreal about being here, naked in the near-wilderness, wrapped in the arms of Korra. It was as if they were participating in a sacred ritual, as old as time itself, with the goal of nothing but to worship, to give and receive pleasure, to push and to pull until everything unified and two bodies as well as two souls became one divine organism. The thought invigorated him, lending his limbs extra strength with which to pull her closer and his blood extra heat to ward away her shivering.

When his hips finally did inch forward, with their eyes and fingers locked together, both forgot how to breathe. They had expected it to feel good. And it did of course. He fit inside of her so perfectly, nudging several sensitive spots in a single, slow thrust that she felt close to exploding already thanks to the long minutes of build up. What they didn't expect was to feel so…exposed.

As Mako began to move, they couldn't help but become abnormally _aware_ of one another. They could see each other's veins glowing beneath their skin, an expressway of information ferrying countless, instinctive instructions, from the production of the next heartbeat to toes curling in the grass. They could hear one another's jumbled thoughts, exchanging unspoken pleas to tilt, twist, bite, lift, harder, faster, slower, more, _yes_. There wasn't much opportunity to mull over this incongruity; to acknowledge that it was most likely an effect unique to the Avatar and they were somehow stirring the spirits. It didn't matter.

With a moan that got lost in his mouth, Korra moved to sit up and ruthlessly took over. He let her. Gladly. She used her knees for leverage, rocking on his lap in a way that soon had him whimpering in ecstatic surrender. One hand gripped into her hair, the other pressed into the small of her back, he encouraged her movements. They had him, literally, seeing stars. Both of them did. The grass, the trees, the island, they all blinked out of existences so that they were floating in a cosmic ocean, stretching as far as the eye could see. They were the center of this universe. Burning together as brightly as any sun.

It was too much.

"Korra…" he whispered her name with reverence. Much like one would an actual goddess. In that moment, for all he knew she may have very well become such an entity, the way she was making him feel being too awesome, too addicting to be human. Mako clenched his teeth against her undulating shoulder, trying to hold back but knowing it was impossible. Not if she kept moving like that.

"K-Korra. I'm gonna-"

"I know. Me too," she interrupted breathlessly before shoving against his chest so that he fell back into the earth. Of course she knew. He was still open to her and she to him, every brain wave available and exposed. He could see, nestled in a corner of her head, the throbbing knot of nerves that was her pleasure center. The entire area was flickering with need, tight and twisted and, as she had stated, so very close to snapping loose. Now if only he could last long enough to make it so.

Though he didn't think it possible, the new position made things even better. Just seeing her there, straddling him, breasts bouncing with her every shuddering movement, dark skin shiny with sweat…the visual alone would have been enough to finish him.

He growled in warning, eyes clenched shut. It was inevitable now.

"_Mako_!"

Turns out, he hadn't needed to worry. She had timed it perfectly, aided by their ethereal connection. As they exploded, the surrounding stars did as well, blanketing them in a light so bright that he could see it even through his closed lids.

Amazing.

It could have been seconds or centuries that they shuddered in each other's arms and rode out the waves. The only thing he could say with certainty is that he had never felt so meak nor so mighty in his life. Like simultaneously winning the pro-bending championship, graduating from the police academy, signing his name next to Korra's on the deed of the house and hearing her say for the first time that she loved him.. It was the very definition of ecstasy.

He couldn't help but wonder, briefly, if this was how it felt to be in the Avatar State.

Still connected even though they were slowly coming down from the high, he found her indisputable answer.

This…this was **so** much better.

He didn't remember moving but when his eyes finally found the will to blink open, Korra was nestled into his side, her damp-haired head resting on his chest. It took a few minutes until their breathing returned to normal, the fire in their blood burned out and the sound of the wind and water replaced the buzzing in their ears.

Experimentally, Korra slid a hand up to her eye level and flexed her fingers, eyes widening as she summoned a miniscule twister of air within her palm.

"Something wrong?" The spiritual connection broken, Mako had to resort to audible questioning again. He looked down at the woman in his arms and prayed that what they had just done didn't spur any negative feelings. He, for one, had been experiencing nothing but delight up until then. "Korra?"

"Hmm?" closing her fist so that the air dispersed, she titled her head up to meet his concerned gaze. "Oh. It's nothing."

"Nothing?" He repeated incredulously, seeing through her lie. "Are- are you okay? Did I hurt you or-"

"No no no!" she insisted. "Not at all! It was…the whole thing was…I can't even…" Unable to find any words nearly suitable enough to describe how good he had made her feel, how (to her pleasant surprise) freakin' _magical_ the entire experience had been, she instead just giggled and hid her flushed face against his chest, hoping he would get the message.

He did, responding via wrapping an arm around her back to pull her even closer while pressing a kiss into her hair.

There were indeed no words.

_'LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WELCOME TO AIR TEMPLE ISLAND!'_

Korra and Mako stiffened as the amplified voice echoed throughout the forest.

It was time.

"You still nervous?" Mako asked as he helped re-tie the fastenings of her robe while she worked on taming her tousled hair.

"Not at all." Her brow furrowed as she said this, as if disturbed by the fact. "In fact, I feel perfectly calm. Calmer than I've felt in…well, ever."

He mirrored her skeptical expression while re-buckling his uniform belt. "Hmm. Strange. Good though."

"Yeah."

Another minute of primping and they were as good as they were gonna get. It wasn't exactly the cozy afterglow they had expected. Hell, it definitely wasn't the time or place or manner either of them had even considered when imagining such an event. Still, neither would have had it any other way.

"So…knock 'em dead," he offered with a smile.

"Will do captain." She gave a teasing salute before jogging off toward the plaza.

She never noticed that her feet weren't touching the ground.

* * *

_"It is with both honor and delight that I present the world's newest Master airbender, official commander of all four elements. The enchanting, the gifted, your fully realized Avatar Korra!" _

The White Lotus Leader's announcement was met with an applause so earth-shattering that Korra feared the ballroom would collapse on into itself. She couldn't help but waver on the threshold as the large, golden doors swung open and she was greeted by the largest crowd of people she had ever seen in one place. It seemed that Asami had gone through with her threat of inviting the entirety of Republic City in addition to the international guests, even though this reception may have very well been cancelled had she failed Tenzin's test. The heiress did get an undeniable thrill out of taking risks. Then again, maybe in her mind it had never been a question.

"Avatar Korra?" Yanking herself back into the present, Korra cleared her throat and took a step forward onto the top of grand staircase. She could only pray that the silk slippers on her feet didn't catch the edge of her gown again as they had about fifty times on the walk over. It wasn't that the hem was the wrong length or anything; she just had a special talent for being awkward in any garment that wasn't built with physical agility as a priority.

Asami had commissioned the dress especially for her as a surprise, insisting that arriving at the gala in one of her boring old tunics was beyond unacceptable. The heiress did at least take into consideration that Korra would never be comfortable in anything too glitzy or revealing, therefore many elements of her traditional water-tribe garb remained. The high, mandarin collar which encased her throat, accentuated as it always was by the pin Mako had given her, was pale blue in color until it faded into a gradient of darker shades down to a flowing train of red and gold; the colors of the sky at sunset as well as representing every element she now commanded. It would have been fine, modest and comfortable, had her evil friend not seen it fit to eliminate almost the entire upper-back portion.

"You're not only the Avatar today, you're also an eighteen-year-old _woman_," Asami had felt the need to remind her once in the dressing room as she brushed out Korra's impossibly tangled hair. "The people should recognize that. _YOU _should finally recognize and appreciate how gorgeous and grown up you are! Now hold still."

The real nightmare was having to go without her bindings in order to wear the damn thing. Additionally, she had been shackled with twin gold cuffs, her hair twisted into a fishtail braid which hung over her shoulder and enough makeup applied (not a lot, but enough) that she was made absurdly aware of her eyelashes with every blink.

If she had known that being a "sophisticated, adult woman" was this exhausting, she never would have agreed to it. But it was too late now. Mainly, she had been fretting up until that very moment that she would look ridiculous; so obviously out of her comfort zone that people would snigger if not wince the instant she stepped out of the shadows.

However, to her surprise and admitted delight, ridicule seemed to be the last thing on the people's minds. The entire crowd, every single one of them, looked up at her with what could only be awe, especially those who had grown familiar with her typically boyish style.

Upon noting Bolin choking on his drink, Meelo's jaw dropping and the two airbending daughters clasping their hands together as if the princess from their favorite book had come to life, Korra's lips could not help but twitch into a lopsided grin.

She would never doubt Asami again.

"You look positively _radiant_ my dear," complimented the White Lotus leader as he stood on his tiptoes to bestow a kiss on her cheek.

"Thanks Gris. And you look," she took in the thinning, grey ring of his hair and ever expanding belly. "Healthy."

After shooting her a wry grin, he offered his arm out and together they descended the staircase toward the waiting crowd below.

"I cannot believe this day has arrived already. Why, it seems like only yesterday that you were a little girl throwing flames at my face because I wouldn't allow you an extra sticky bun for dessert." He chuckled at the memory, as if it were tale of adorableness and not the incident that had led to him taking a forced vacation because she had burned off his beard and eyebrows.

"Yeah. All grown up. I suppose."

All too soon, they arrived at the bottom. She hadn't even had the chance to brush some stray hairs off her forehead before her hands were being whipped forward and vigorously shook.

"Keenst Xio, Senator from Ba Sing Se," introduced a wiry older man with spectacles far too large for his face. "It is indeed an _honor _Avatar Korra! To be a witness to your airbending test and see firsthand the grace and power and control you-"

"You were brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Breath-taking! Inspirational!" A rotund woman, probably having consumed one too many glasses of wine if her reddened cheeks and ears were any indication, decided she simply had to throw in her opinion lest it expire. "And so very brave to publicize the whole thing! I must admit, we over at the Fire Nation Gazette hadn't approved or your reckless intervention during the Dragon Flats incident. We all thought you were a child on a power trip!" she laughed at this, as if it were the funniest joke she had ever heard in her life. "But we were wrong! I am so very happy to see that we were wron-"

"Avatar Korra! Happy Burthday!" A boy of about six, dressed in the most decorated blue robes she had ever seen, was thrusting a bow-topped package up into her face. "From me, Prince Tyron of the Northern Water Tribe. Open it! Open it!"

That first minute was a mere preview to the rest of the event. A seemingly never ending stream of people pushed and prodded their way for an introduction as Gris vigilantly stood guard a couple of steps away. On the bright side, at least they were singing nothing but her praises for once. Person after person complimented her apparently flawless airbending style. So graceful. So stable. The elders found her tribute to Avatar Aang's memory both heartfelt and conscientious. The youths begged her to demonstrate her skills which she politely declined, silencing those few remnant voices that accused her of merely showing off.

Everybody, the entire room, the city and the world beyond seemed to release a collective cry of relief that day.

Their Avatar was back; strong, selfless and more sensible than ever. She would return balance to the world. Of that there was no doubt.

But not tonight.

She only managed to get away under the guise of having to use the facilities after several, tedious hours had passed, just as the setting sun began turning the room a ghastly shade of burnt orange. Up the stairs, down a couple of hallways, she didn't stop until she found the most hidden, miniscule, difficult to get to courtyard in order to claim a much needed breath of fresh air. No. A breath of fresh _everything._

First the braid, then the cuffs, then the shoes, Korra rushed to liberate herself before stepping out into the cool night. The oasis was miraculously silent save for the wind rustling the trees. Not even the notes from the audaciously loud brass band managed to penetrate. And as her bare feet sunk into the grass, Korra felt the stress melt away into nature.

It felt so damn good that, for a moment, she debated making a break for it. No one could argue that she had slacked off today and it would be so very easy to airbend herself over the wall and back into the city streets she called home. They'd forgive her. Wouldn't they?

Or had this entire ordeal only resulted in generating grand expectations that she could never hope to live up to?

"Nice night for an escape, huh?"

She didn't have to turn around to identify the speaker. Her only reaction was to grin.

"I was just enjoying the quiet. Nothing more."

"So you weren't thinking of climbing that wall and sprinting back home as if your life depended on it?"

"Tch. Of course not." She was the Avatar. Why would she need to climb? "Though, if someone wished to join me on such an adventure, I may be slightly tempted. If I weren't so responsible and level-headed of course."

Warm arms snaked around her waist as he released a snigger. She couldn't help but lean back into him, allowing his natural heat to ward away the chill on her exposed back.

They stood like that in silence for a couple of minutes, just basking in the simple pleasure of being alone and together once more. It felt as if it had been years, not hours since they'd last seen one another and she found herself frightfully desperate for his proximity.

This day had been arranged to show the world she was both stable and effective in her role as the Avatar but, perhaps, it also had an alternate resolution. She now knew, with startling sincerity, how much she needed him to get by. Not only through the prestigious trials and events, but on normal days when she stubbed her toe or burnt the noodles. He was her anchor.

"You did it," Mako was whispering against her neck. "I knew you would. You, fully realized Avatar Korra, are one of a kind."

At the wording, she couldn't help but tense, eyes snapping open to regard the wandering clouds above them.

"Does it bother you?" she asked softly.

Mako wavered. "Does what bother me?"

It was stupid. She knew it was, but she had to ask anyway. She thought back to their tryst in the woods a few hours previously and how great but undeniably bizarre the entire experience had been. It didn't take a genius to know that such things, the visions and sensations, were not at all conventional.

"Does it bother you that I'm not…normal? That everything, our entire lives, will be filled with this weird, supernatural, sometimes scary stuff?"

"Korra…"

"I mean, we couldn't go out on a date before without the press following and ruining it. And now…Geez, I still can't believe…. We can't even_ do it _without turning into some kind of freakin' spiritual spectacle! I mean, it's weirdMako. I'm _weird._"

"You're not weird_. _You're special."

"Potato, powtatoe." She spun around in his arms, easily finding and burrowing into those amber eyes of his that seemed to glow in the waning sunlight. "What if it's always like that, huh? I mean- it _changed_ me, ya know? I felt connected afterward. For the first time, the spirits seemed to be talking to me. Which is great but- out in the woods with all those people around...ar-are we crazy? Was it actually us who decided to do that, or were we swayed into it? I HATE that I can't tell! Don't you hate it? Doesn't it just make you wanna run away screaming?"

"Korra." Calloused hands rose to cup her cheeks as he struggled to suppress his laughter. "You are indeed crazy if you think anything about you, normal or more often not, would make me want to leave."

"But-"

"But nothing." He kissed her then. Softly. Just barely putting pressure of his lips against hers. He was hoping to convey how much he loved her, how indisputably happy she made him and how what had happened between them on the island was one hundred and ten percent his own, desperate desire to get closer than humanely possible. As he pulled back, her eyes remained closed, hands clenched into the fabric of his uniform jacket as if to keep from floating away. With her tousled hair, half open lips and flushed cheeks, there was no refuting that she the most beautiful thing Mako had ever seen.

"I don't know if it'll always happen like that," he continued with his forehead leaning against hers. "Nonetheless, I can honestly and happily state that I cannot _wait_ to find out."

Korra chuckled, eyes opening so that she could execute an overly exaggerated eye roll. "Men. I guess you are only after one thing, huh?"

"Yes. You. Always, only you." The next kiss wasn't the least bit sweet or comforting in purpose. It just then become abundantly clear that they were alone together, technically shielded from the world, and that their hunger had been merely, temporarily quenched but was far from satiated. It would probably never be fully satiated.

"You know," Korra began, pausing to gasp as his fingers traced her naked spine. Again, she made a mental note to praise Asami for the dress choice. "I do have a-" another interruption occurred when he nipped her ear lobe, almost causing her train of thought to completely derail and eagerly follow him off a cliff. But no, not this time. They had been lucky in the meager shelter of the woods. Here they were surrounded by half open windows as guests took advantage of the night's cool breeze. "-a dressing room upstairs. Here in the hotel. Just upstairs."

She felt the vibration of his laugh against her neck. It was playful enough that she was all too easily convinced the setting no longer and would never matter. Embarrassing though such submission was, she had no doubt that it would be made worth her while.

"Never mind." They kissed again and it tingled just right. "But we'll have to be quick. O-Or not. Whatever. I just need help with-"

"Korra, slow down." She already had the top fastening of her collar undone before Mako realized what she was implying. Hastily, his hands snatched hers away and lowered them down between their bodies to force some sort of partition. "I didn't mean _that_. Not now. Though it's…tempting…" His eyes couldn't help but linger on the front of her dress as her chest heaved to catch her breath, a little longer than considered proper before abruptly snapping back up to her face. "Sorry. I just…I had made plans. For tonight."

"Plans?" she repeated, still struggling to extract herself from a haze of lust. "What plans?"

"Well, it is still your birthday. I thought we'd go celebrate properly. No mention of anything Avatar related. Sound good?"

The mood died a frustrated little death then, as Korra was reminded of the horde awaiting her back in the ballroom. As much as she wanted and even tried to give herself to Mako, fully and fervently, the fact remained that she belonged to many others and so many different levels.

"I can't," she whispered, taking a step back to increase the space between them. She nodded toward the walls of the grand hotel over his shoulder and hoped that he understood. Sometimes, all she would be able to offer were quick bursts of passion as the most efficient alternative to the hours of quiet affection he both craved and deserved. This was only one of the thousands of times she was sure to leave him wanting. They may as well get used to it.

Unexpectedly, he looked neither surprised nor disheartened at her answer. The corner of his lip simply tugged upward into the cocky grin he was known to occasionally throw opponents in the ring after he bested them.

"Do you trust me?" he asked while squeezing her hands a little more tightly.

Her response was automatic. "Yes. Of course I do. But-"

"Good. Then come on."

In a blink, Korra found herself being dragged back into the hotel with barely enough time to grab the cuffs and slippers she had dropped at the entrance.

"Mako! What are you-"

"Shh!"

They approached a corner beyond which they could hear the high-pitched voices of some politicians arguing over a new trade treaty. Acting as if they were on a covert mission, Mako pressed against the wall before taking a peak around. Then, after signaling a count down with his fingers, they sprinted across the intersection and down the hall in an explosion of limbs and furious chuckles. It was quite possible the least subtle escape in the history of Republic City.

She expected at any second for there to be a hand on her shoulder, another citizen or press member or noble vying for her attention, but in that moment she didn't care. She was having too much fun. They were eventually able to make it out the front doors with surprisingly no encounters, gasping for breath from both the run and laughter.

"Now what, Mr. Hat Trick? What's the brilliant plan, if you've even got one at all?"

"Of course I got a plan," he responded with exaggerated offense. "It's just…a little off timing, that's all. Completely your fault by the way. You shouldn't have kissed me."

"What!? It was YOU who kissed ME!"

"Well, YOU kissed me back!"

They would have fallen down laughing if not interrupted by the squealing of tires. Asami was pulling up in front of the hotel in what looked like a clunky, old sato-mobile, but it moved like hotrod fresh off the line. Probably another one of her eccentric experiments.

The door immediately flew open and out jumped Pema of all people.

"Quickly!" the Air Temple Mistress was shouting, frantically gesturing to the door. "There's only so much Tenzin can do to keep the crowd distracted. What took you so long, Mako?"

The Avatar and her boyfriend exchanged blushing glances, to which the elder woman could only shake her head. "Just get a move on. Go!"

Before she had a chance to question what was going on, Korra found herself being simultaneously pushed and pulled into the covered carriage portion of the vehicle. Upon landing on the seat, a hand reached out of the darkness and plopped an absurdly bright and oversized fedora onto her head.

"There ya go!" Bolin said cheerily, his expression showing how proud he was at having fulfilled his one task for the night. "Perfect. No one who happens to check us out will recognize you now!"

"No. They'll just be running up to ask if the circus is in town." Mako plucked the thing off her as he settled into the adjacent seat. "The windows are tinted enough. We'll be fine."

"Hmph. If you say so _captain_."

"Bolin, come on."

"Good night you guys!" interjected Pema just as the engine roared to life once more. "Be careful! And Korra-" she popped her head in through the door. To the Avatar's surprise, she found her surrogate mother's eyes shining with unshed tears. "Please, _please_ do not worry about tonight and have fun! The airbenders have it taken care of. And you deserve a break my dear, beautiful girl. You-you deserve _everything_."

"Pema…"

"Sorry Korra, but we gotta get moving if we wanna avoid the parade route," warned Asami from the driver's seat.

"Yes. Yes of course." After sharing a brief but enthusiastic squeeze with Tenzin's wife, the door was shut and they were racing away from the hotel at breakneck speed. As the distance between her and the mass of people grew, Korra felt her heart grow lighter. That is until she remembered that she had basically been kidnapped by three hooligans who had somehow reeled the innocent airbenders into some sort of scam.

"Dare I ask where we're going?" Korra asked with feigned distress.

Mako and Bolin shared matching, devious grins.

"On an epic adventure!" Was all the younger brother dared to reveal, his hands shooting into the air as if he were indeed a circus ringmaster. "That or a picnic in the park. You won't know until you get there…._adventure-style_!"

Korra laughed. Oh, how she loved to laugh. Almost as much as Mako loved hearing it. She quickly came to realize that it didn't matter where they ended up tonight, this was already the best birthday she had ever had.

In the darkness of the cabin, as Bolin continued to tease them with other potentials for their mystery destination (some mundane, a few extraordinary and a couple disturbing), Mako and Korra's hands searched for each other against the leather seats. Upon making contact, both felt themselves melt into contentment, stemming from where their fingers connected and throughout the vast network of their chi paths.

All around them, she couldn't help but notice the elements responding to the shift in her mood. She could feel the weight of the bay water smashing against the shore, the eager rumble of the earth beneath the satomobile wheels, the wind racing past the windows and the tingle of electricity, of fire, lighting their path. None of these things were what anyone would consider stable, even without her powers affecting them. It was in their nature to sometimes shudder or fight or become generally restless. Much like her, they could never be completely tamed. It was both a frightening and comforting thought.

She met Mako's eyes then, searching for a solution. He didn't offer any. Only the silent promise to be there whenever things (inevitably) went wrong. Upon every damn break, earthquake, hurricane, tornado, forest fire, stubbed toe and burnt meal…he would be there to weather it.

Korra smiled and tightened her grip around his fingers.

Being the fully realized Avatar was pretty easy in the end. All you needed was your other half.

** END.-**

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you all for following me through this roller coaster ride that has been the writing of 'Equilibrium'. I'm so very proud of myself for sticking to the outlined 5 chapters, even though some (this one) ended up being ridiculously long. I've been a part of fanfiction for over ten years now and I cannot help but laugh at how my writing has changed. For example, needing to mention of birth control for the first time. Never bothered me before, but I simply had to include it here. Oh, being a grown up… Well, at least my Makorra feels have been released as I eagerly await book 2. I cannot wait to see what else the fandom comes up with for the, hopefully, lengthy future. Thank you, so much, for your support and please review.

Mayonaka no Ame (Nancy)


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